HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/BEIJING — Homeowners at the complex destroyed in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires were incorrectly told the contractor that authorities blame for the blaze had a clean safety record, documents viewed by Reuters show.

Residents were given the assurances by Will Power Architects, which was retained by their homeowners’ corporation to evaluate bids for a renovation contract, according to a PowerPoint presentation created by the consultant.

In fact, the contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. , had been penalized by the city’s safety regulator more than a dozen times in the seven years before it was hired by the corporation to renovate the complex, according to the agency’s records, including for improperly installing scaffolding and faulty electrical c

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