3. Corruption pitfalls
Video 4 – Under-the-table deal
Script of the video
Scene 1
| Time: | Night |
| Location: | Clubhouse snooker room |
| Character(s): | Kwok-yin (senior relationship manager of a bank), Paul (toy factory owner) |
| (The different coloured balls are sunk into the snooker table pockets one by one, with heavy plopping sounds. Kwok-yin has left the red ball next to a pocket, but Paul fails to sink it. He seems to be preoccupied with something.) | |
| Kwok-yin: | (VO) My name is Tsui Kwok-yin. I’m the senior relationship service manager of a bank. Paul is one of my regular clients. He owns a fairly large toy factory that operates out of Dongguan. |
| Kwok-yin: | What’s wrong with you today? Paul, are you having problems with your mistress again? |
| Paul: | If only that was the case. |
| Kwok-yin: | Business problems? |
| Paul: | Missed again... |
| (Kwok-yin marks down Paul’s score. Paul approaches the scoreboard.) | |
| Paul: | About the last loan I got from your bank, if you could help postpone my repayment schedule for six months, that would be perfect. |
| Kwok-yin: | What happened? Did someone fail to pay you? |
| Paul: | No. I just want to make some investments. |
| Kwok-yin: | (skeptical) Really? Alright, then, come see me at the bank tomorrow. |
| Paul: | It’s a date. |
Scene 2
| Time: | Afternoon |
| Location: | Bank |
| Character(s): | Kwok-yin, Paul |
| (Kwok-yin’s brows furrow as he reads the financial reports of Paul’s factory. Paul is sitting across the desk, looking agitated.) | |
| Kwok-yin: | It’s impossible. With your factory’s current financial status, the bank will not authorize an extension. |
| Paul: | Think of a way. The failing economy has affected business and lowered product turnover. If my factory goes down, you’ll lose out too. |
| Kwok-yin: | It’s not that I don’t want to help you. But as you know, the rules of the bank are quite strict. |
| Paul: | Are you just going to stand by while I die? Don’t forget that you bought plenty of my company’s shares through your wife’s account. |
| Kwok-yin: | If you didn’t boast so much about your company from the start, I wouldn’t have told my wife to invest in it. |
| Paul: | It may not be easy to understand. Do you have a solution or not? |
| Kwok-yin: | (sighs) But your financial report is really a mess... |
| Paul: | It’s settled then. I’ll find someone to upgrade the report to fulfill the bank’s requirements. Alright? |
| (Kwok-yin is appalled.) | |
Scene 3
| Time: | Night |
| Location: | Clubhouse snooker room |
| Character(s): | Kwok-yin, Paul |
| (An attendant set up the balls on the snooker table. Paul and Kwok-yin, who are taking a break, having a conversation at the back. Paul applies chalk to his cue tip as he speaks.) | |
| Paul: | So how did it go? |
| Kwok-yin: | It’s still under review. |
| Paul: | Under review? I’ve already removed all the bad debts and boosted the asset values. The report is problem-free! |
| Kwok-yin: | ...(speechless) |
| Paul: | I know what to do. After we get past this, I’ll give your wife an extra large yearend dividend. |
| Kwok-yin: | That seems... |
| Paul: | It’s settled then? I’ll break this time. |
| (Paul goes to the snooker table and delivers a hard shot, sending the balls in every direction. Kwok-yin approaches the table slowly. He doesn’t know what to do.) | |