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Thursday, Dec 26, 2024
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Duo jailed for asking and accepting bribes from workers of Third Runway Project
Two men charged by the ICAC were on Friday jailed for nine months and five months for asking and accepting bribes from a fellow worker for continuing his employment with the sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project.
The two were Chow Fuk-leung, 63, and Chan Fai-ching, 29. At the material time, Chow and Chan were the site team leader and a construction worker for MLife Engineering Limited (MEL).
In West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today, Chow was jailed for nine months and Chan for five months.
When passing the sentences, Deputy Magistrate Polly Chuang Po-yi reprimanded the duo for undermining the fairness of the local labor market, Hong Kong’s reputation as a corruption-free city and the core values of the society.
Chuang also reproached the defendants for taking advantage of another worker and his sufferings by collecting bribes equivalent to one-fourth of his wages.
Chuang the two were at high risk of committing the crime again as they didn’t show remorse while their law-abiding awareness was weak. Having considered the duo’s background reports and mitigations, the judge was of the view that there was no factor for reducing their jail terms.
Chuang had earlier ordered the defendants to pay about HK$14,000, being the bribes involved in the case, as restitution to MEL.
Chow and Chan were earlier found guilty of a total of three charges – one of conspiracy for agent to solicit advantages and two of agent accepting an advantage.
Between November 2020 and February 2021, Chow and Chan allegedly conspired together to solicit a bribe of HK$500 per working day from another bar-bender in Chow’s team. As a result, Chow had accepted bribes totaling about HK$14,000 from the bar-bender for assisting the latter to continue his employment with MEL.
The bar-bender believed that he would be terminated by Chow if he did not pay any bribe.
An ICAC spokesperson urges construction workers not to tolerate corruption. Should they be asked to offer advantages in exchange for their employment, they should report to the ICAC immediately.
In West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today, Chow was jailed for nine months and Chan for five months.
When passing the sentences, Deputy Magistrate Polly Chuang Po-yi reprimanded the duo for undermining the fairness of the local labor market, Hong Kong’s reputation as a corruption-free city and the core values of the society.
Chuang also reproached the defendants for taking advantage of another worker and his sufferings by collecting bribes equivalent to one-fourth of his wages.
Chuang the two were at high risk of committing the crime again as they didn’t show remorse while their law-abiding awareness was weak. Having considered the duo’s background reports and mitigations, the judge was of the view that there was no factor for reducing their jail terms.
Chuang had earlier ordered the defendants to pay about HK$14,000, being the bribes involved in the case, as restitution to MEL.
Chow and Chan were earlier found guilty of a total of three charges – one of conspiracy for agent to solicit advantages and two of agent accepting an advantage.
Between November 2020 and February 2021, Chow and Chan allegedly conspired together to solicit a bribe of HK$500 per working day from another bar-bender in Chow’s team. As a result, Chow had accepted bribes totaling about HK$14,000 from the bar-bender for assisting the latter to continue his employment with MEL.
The bar-bender believed that he would be terminated by Chow if he did not pay any bribe.
An ICAC spokesperson urges construction workers not to tolerate corruption. Should they be asked to offer advantages in exchange for their employment, they should report to the ICAC immediately.
