Mainland water plant holds operating licence: police
Senior superintendent Kung Hing-fun says the water samples will be sent to the Government Laboratory for testing. Photo: RTHK
Police on Wednesday said they will send samples involved in a government water supply scandal for testing in the Government Laboratory, after confirming that the mainland plant involved in the saga holds a commercial licence to operate on the mainland.
Xin Ding Xin Trade Co Ltd, a company which recently won a HK$52 million contract to provide bottled water to government offices, is accused of lying about how it sourced the water from the mainland.
The government has since terminated its contract with the firm.
During a press conference on Wednesday, police said they have conducted investigations in Shenzhen and Dongguan, and visited the implicated water plant in Zhangmutou.
'After two days of investigation by our Commercial Crime Bureau officers, we have reason to believe that bottled water delivered to government offices in Hong Kong Island and [some] outlying islands came from the water supplier mentioned above,' said Kung Hing-fun, senior superintendent of the Commercial Crime Bureau.
'We will send the observations and findings from this trip, as well as bottled water samples we seized, to the Government Laboratory for further analysis.'
Mainland authorities confirmed that the plant has a licence for commercial operation and met the requirements needed to produce drinking water, Kung added.
On Sunday, a 61-year-old company director and his 57-year-old shareholder wife were arrested by the police in connection with the case.
The former later appeared in court, accused of providing officials with false documents to win the water contract, while the latter was released on bail.
The couple was arrested again on Wednesday, this time by the Customs and Excise Department, on suspicion of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
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