Hong Kong Police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced on Wednesday (June 10) their official indictment of seven individuals and two companies in connection with the fatal fire incident at the Grand Prosperity Estate in Tai Po, Hong Kong. The charges against them involve a total of 25 counts, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and tax evasion. The list of 168 victims has been released.
The seven defendants each played different roles during the major renovation project at the Grand Prosperity Estate, including directors of the engineering consultancy and registered inspectors hired by the company, as well as a director of the main contractor. The two indicted companies are the engineering consultancy firm, Hung Yee Architects Limited (Hung Yee), responsible for the Grand Prosperity Estate’s major renovation project, and the main contractor, Hung Yip Construction Engineering Limited (Hung Yip).
Five of the accused are charged with manslaughter, including three men: 52-year-old Ho Kin Yip, 44-year-old Ng Yuk, and 40-year-old Wong Ha Yin, as well as the two companies – Hung Yip Construction Engineering Limited and Hung Yee Architects Limited.
The charges specify that the defendants illegally caused the deaths of 168 people between November 26 and December 3, 2025. The case involves a total of five manslaughter charges categorized by the building where the victims were located. Under Hong Kong law, manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. None of the defendants facing manslaughter charges are currently granted bail.
The case was brought before the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on the afternoon of June 10 and has been adjourned until September 2 for further hearing.
As of December 17, 2025, the ICAC has arrested 14 individuals, while the police have detained 22 individuals related to the fire incident itself.
Investigators suspect that the maintenance project involved false documents, irregular procurement, substandard fire materials, and alleged long-term concealment of relevant information by some personnel involved in the project.
Chief Investigating Officer of the ICAC, Law Po Man, stated that the main prosecution focuses on four aspects, including suspected falsification of the main contractor’s tendering process, engineering supervision procedures, money laundering by the director of the engineering consultancy company, and attempts by certain individuals involved to obstruct the course of justice during the investigation.
According to the ICAC investigation, Wong Ha Yin, a director of Hung Yee Architects Limited, allegedly colluded with directors of Hung Yip Construction Engineering Limited, Hou Wah Kin and Ho Kin Yip, to conceal the litigation records involving Hung Yip in the bid analysis report, exaggerating its technical grading.
The ICAC alleges that these individuals misled the Grand Prosperity Estate’s owners’ corporation and owners, leading to Hung Yip successfully winning the approximately HK$300 million major renovation project contract.
Furthermore, the ICAC suspects that certain individuals involved in the case attempted to conceal or tamper with data post-incident and even interfere with witness statements, leading to additional charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Police and ICAC are still investigating the flow of funds related to the case, the engineering approval process, and the relationships of interest among the involved entities.
Legal experts believe that due to the case involving manslaughter, engineering tender fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice, as the investigation is ongoing, it is possible that more individuals or companies may face criminal charges in the future.
The three defendants – Wong Ha Yin, Ng Yuk, Ho Kin Yip – and the two companies faced five manslaughter charges for unlawfully causing the deaths of 168 individuals between November 26 and December 3.
The five charges are categorized based on the buildings where the 168 deceased victims were found: 81 in Hung Cheung House, 82 in Hung Tai House, 2 in Hung Sun House, 2 in Hung To House, and 1 in Hung Sing House.
The first manslaughter charge alleges that the five defendants unlawfully caused the deaths of 81 individuals in Hong Kong, namely Lai Chi Kwong, Chan Chu Hoi, Chu Cheuk Kuen, Cheng Yuk Chi, Cheng Tsui Wing Sau, Wong Po Ying, So Wing Kuen, To Yuen Chuen, Choi Man Ying, Lau Mei Kam, Ng Wai Chun, Leung Lai Ching, Lam Heung, Yip Ka Lei, Lau Sau Yin, Tang Shuk Ping, Sit Oi Wah, Yeung Tung Ying, Ki Lai Ming, Ng Wan Ho, Novita, So Siu Hung, Ho Chi Yan, Li Fong Yau, Lam Fong, Law Shui Sin, So Wai Fan, Cheung Mei Fan, Yeung Wing Nong, Li Kwok Wai, Cheng Kwai Heung, Yasmianti, Mak Wai Lan, Wong Sau Wan, Tam Wai Ping, Dina-Martiana, Darwati, Ho Wah Shing, Li Kin Yuk, Chan Leung Bun, Ko Kam Sheung, So Yuen Yuet, Tsang Yuk Wai, Lian Chi-Fai, Cheung Tai-pan, Lau Yuen Kim, Lau Din Ga, Shing Suk Ching, Yu So-Ying, Liu Sau Fong, Ng Yuen Chi, Hung Wai Heng, Choi Lai Ping, Choi Wing Tak, Yeung Suk…
The fire at Grand Prosperity Estate occurred on November 26, 2025. At the time of the incident, eight residential towers in the estate were undergoing external wall renovation and major maintenance works.
The fire initially broke out near the scaffolding on the exterior wall of Hung Cheung House and rapidly spread along the scaffolding and safety netting, quickly engulfing all seven residential towers in the estate. Thick smoke filled the air with multiple reports of explosions.
Given the exceptionally rapid spread of the fire, the authorities reported that the incident resulted in the deaths of 168 people, injuries to 79 individuals, and approximately 4,000 residents displaced. The event marked Hong Kong’s first five-alarm fire in 17 years and one of the most severe residential fires in decades.
Following the incident, the Serious Crime Unit of the police initiated an investigation, leading to the arrest of directors of the engineering company and engineering consultancy personnel on suspicion of manslaughter.
Simultaneously, the ICAC established a special task force to investigate whether corruption, falsification, and other illegal activities were involved in the Grand Prosperity Estate renovation project.
This case, known to the public as the “Grand Prosperity Estate Century Fire,” not only stands as one of the most severe residential fires in Hong Kong in recent years but may also become one of the largest cases in Hong Kong involving public works supervision, corporate governance, and anti-corruption investigations.