香港大律师公会呼吁政府，在其计划将串标定为刑事罪行后，明确界定刑事门槛并解决举报人豁免规则问题。此举是在去年致命的大埔大火之后提出的。
The Hong Kong Bar Association has called on the government to clearly define criminal thresholds and resolve whistle-blower immunity rules under its plan to outlaw bid-rigging following the deadly Tai Po inferno.
该公会代表全港大律师，旗下一个工作小组耗时 10 个月审视四大关键法律领域，并于周日发布一份 140 页的报告，希望为解决去年 11 月致命的宏福苑大火所暴露的缺失提供方向。
A task force formed by the association, which represents the city’s barristers, spent 10 months reviewing four key areas of law and published a 140-page report on Sunday in the hope of providing direction to address the shortcomings that led to the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze last November.
虽然公会在 5 月提出将串标定罪的建议，已被政府采纳，作为上周公布的一揽子改革措施的一部分，但公会强调，该罪行的构成要件，包括串标的定义、举证责任和犯罪意图，必须明确界定。
While its suggestion to criminalise bid-rigging, which was put forward in May, was adopted by the government as part of a basket of reforms unveiled last week, the association stressed the elements of the crime, including the definition of bid-rigging, the burden of proof and mens rea, must be clearly defined.
犯罪意图是法律标准，要求检方证明被告有意实施犯罪，或带有犯罪认知或鲁莽态度，而非意外所致。
Mens rea is the legal standard requiring prosecutors to prove a defendant intended to commit a crime, or acted with criminal knowledge or recklessness, rather than by accident.
目前，串标被归类为民事违规，由竞争事务委员会通过竞争事务审裁处追究违规者。
Currently, bid-rigging is categorised as a civil contravention and the Competition Commission pursues offenders through the Competition Tribunal.
但随着《竞争条例》将修订，把该行为也列为刑事罪行，公会表示，需要厘清民事宽免安排下提供的豁免权，在提出刑事检控时将如何运作。
But with the Competition Ordinance to be amended to make the practice a criminal offence as well, clarification was needed over how immunity provided under civil leniency arrangements would work when criminal charges were laid, the association said.
公会指出：“这很重要，以确保为潜在举报人保持适当的激励，使其站出来协助当局揭发反竞争行为。”
“This is important so as to ensure that the proper incentive is maintained for potential whistle-blowers to come forward and assist the authorities in uncovering anti-competitive behaviour,” it said.
根据政府提出的改革方案，违规者将面临最高 10 年监禁和 1000 万港元（约 128 万美元）罚款。
Under the reforms put forward by the government, offenders will face a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$10 million (US$1.28 million).
在记者会上，公会主席毛乐礼被问及，刑事检控的高举证门槛，是否会让新的双轨制机制沦为“纸老虎”。
At a press conference, association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet was asked whether the high threshold of proof for criminal prosecution risked turning the new dual-track mechanism into a “toothless tiger”.
“对刑事犯罪的举证责任相对较高，但这是为了确保对被告的适当保障。这并不仅限于投标串标，”他说。“但我们注意到，在其他犯罪中，检方在证明有罪方面取得了非常高的成功率。”马雷尔解释说，如果当局认定证据“提供了合理的定罪前景”，并且符合公共利益，就应走刑事程序。他说，否则案件应转入民事程序。
“The burden of proof for criminal offences is relatively high, but that exists to ensure proper safeguards for defendants. This does not apply only to bid-rigging,” he said. “But we observed that in other offences, the prosecution has achieved a very high success rate in proving guilt.”Maurellet explained that the criminal track should be pursued if authorities determined the evidence “provides a reasonable prospect of convicting a criminal offence” and if it served the public interest. Otherwise, the case should be directed to the civil track, he said.
政府的措施是在一份备受期待的独立委员会报告之后出台的，该报告将建筑署、房屋局独立检查组、消防处和劳工处列为问责对象。
The government’s measures followed a long-awaited report by an independent committee that singled out the Buildings Department, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, the Fire Services Department and the Labour Department for accountability.
大火于2025年11月26日燃起，吞噬了该住宅区八座楼宇中的七座，导致168人死亡。
The blaze broke out on November 26, 2025, engulfing seven of the estate’s eight buildings, killing 168 people.
事发时，所有楼栋均被脚手架覆盖，正在进行价值3.36亿港元（4285万美元）的外立面翻新工程。
At the time, all blocks were covered in scaffolding as part of a HK$336 million (US$42.85 million) facade renovation.