The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) told a media gathering yesterday that corruption in the city has not worsened since the 1997 handover of Hong Kong as widely speculated.

Commissioner Timothy Tong said that the ICAC received a total of 3,600 corruption reports last year, similar to that in 1998.

"Due to the robust economy in Hong Kong, the maximum number of reports was 4,400 in 2002, but the figure has stabilized since," Tong said, adding that the figures have proven that the worry 10 years ago did not materialize.

Meanwhile, Tong said one of ICAC's major missions this year is to maintain a clean and honest election.

As the Legislativ e Council (LegCo) Election will be held in September, the ICAC has offered corruption guidelines to political parties and the business sector.

The number of corruption reports in 2004 LegCo Election was about 160, much less than over 500 complaints in 1998, Tong said.

It was also announced that the ICAC will publish a set of anti-corruption guidelines by the end of this year for local listed companies to observe.

It will collect and conclude past actual cases about corruptions in listed companies and put forward proposals to prevent the same offenses, Director of Corruption Prevention Ricky Chu Man-kin said.

Chu said parts of the guidelines may be amended and published for the commission's counterpart on the mainland.

Tong added that the guidelines will be compiled through the joint efforts of the commission's three departments - operation, corruption prevention and community relations.

At the same time, to tackle complaints in connection with building management, a "Corruption Prevention Guide on Building Management and Renovation" will be published in May in association with the Home Affairs Department and the Housing Authority.

(HK Edition 03/20/2008 page1)