Integrity Focus

The general manager of an intermediary company, charged by the ICAC yesterday (June 25), was brought to the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (June 26) for allegedly offering bribes to a bank manager for assisting clients to open corporate accounts with the bank.

Li Xiongwei, 33, general manager of Shenzhen City Huiteng Business Consultancy Company Limited (transliteration of 深圳市滙騰商務咨詢有限公司) (Huiteng), faced two counts of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

No plea was taken today. Principal Magistrate Miss Ivy Chui Yee-mei adjourned the case to August 7 for mention. The defendant was granted bail.

The defendant is the general manager of Huiteng, a consultancy which refers Mainland clients to open corporate accounts with banks in Hong Kong. In April this year, the defendant visited a branch of China CITIC Bank International Limited (CNCBI) to seek information on account opening applications. He was told that corporate account applicants who were non-Hong Kong residents would be required to pay a special handling fee of HK$10,000. The defendant had requested the manager of the branch to waive the relevant fee but his request was turned down.

It is alleged that on April 14 and June 23 this year, the defendant offered a bribe of RMB7,000 to the branch manager for assisting in the approval of each bank account opening application with CNCBI referred by him.

Upon receipt of a corruption complaint filed by CNCBI, the ICAC launched an investigation which revealed that the defendant had told the branch manager he would offer “tea money” of RMB7,000 to bank staff for each successful corporate account application.

CNCBI has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Shirley Lau.