Ricky Chu Bids Farewell To ICAC – Again

Veteran anti-graft investigator Ricky Chu retires from the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday – for the second time in his career.

He first left the ICAC in 2010, and took on a challenging role as the first secretary-general of the Independent Police Complaints Council.

However, he rejoined the body six years later when it was mired in controversy over the departure of a top investigator who had led a probe into the then-Chief Executive, CY Leung.

Chu came back in 2016 at the urging of Commissioner Simon Peh because he believed he could help and "ease the difficulties faced by the staff".

"Most importantly, I think I can act as a pacifier," Chu said, to let staff know that "even an old man like me – having left the company for so long - still has a passion to come back and help the organisation out".

After a years-long investigation into the payment to Leung, the ICAC submitted its findings to the Department of Justice, which ultimately concluded late last year that there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute.

The DOJ drew fire for departing from past practice in deciding not to seek the advice of an external legal expert in this politically sensitive case.

But Chu said that despite the criticism, investigators just have to keep focused on the task in front of them.

"All we are concerned with is whether we investigate each and every case thoroughly. Have we collected all the evidence that can be collected? Are we professionally discharging our duties? We will let the results speak for themselves," Chu said.

Chu will be succeeded by his assistant director, Ken Ho.