Integrity Focus

Three former site team leaders of a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project of the Hong Kong International Airport (Third Runway Project) were charged by the ICAC yesterday (June 28) for allegedly accepting bribes totalling over $800,000 from more than 80 construction workers in relation to their employment with the sub-contractor. One of the trio allegedly accepted bribes of over $700,000, and perverted the course of public justice by instructing workers to make false statements to the ICAC claiming that they had not paid any bribes.

Tang Kwok-leung, 48; Jiang Fa, 55; and Ting Shi-tong, 61; all former site team leaders of MLife Engineering Limited (MEL), were yesterday charged in separate cases with a total of 30 charges – 25 of agent accepting an advantage; three of conspiracy for agents to accept advantages; one of conspiracy to do an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice; and one of blackmail.

The three defendants were released on ICAC bail, pending their appearance in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (June 30). Jiang and Ting will appear in court for plea taking, while the prosecution will later apply for transferring Tang’s case to the District Court for plea.

The ICAC had taken a series of enforcement actions against solicitation and acceptance of illegal rebates from construction workers in recent years. A total of 26 people, most of whom were site team leaders of a sub-contractor, were charged with collecting bribes totalling over $1.4 million from more than 130 workers in connection with the Third Runway Project. Eighteen out of the 23 former employees of the main contractor and a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project charged earlier had pleaded guilty or were found guilty after trial, receiving sentences up to 16 months in jail. Three others are awaiting trial.

An ICAC spokesperson urges construction workers not to tolerate corruption. Should they be asked to pay bribes in exchange for their employment, they should report to the ICAC immediately. ICAC’s report corruption hotline: 25 266 366. In order to promote the anti-corruption message “Don’t pay illegal rebates” among construction workers, the ICAC has launched a series of publicity and education programmes, including a new online video entitled “Don’t  tolerate illegal rebates! Report corruption!”.
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The three defendants, who were charged yesterday, were site team leaders of MEL at the material time. MEL was a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project responsible for recruiting construction workers to conduct various works.

In the first case, it is alleged that between June 2020 and March 2021, Tang conspired with two other site team leaders and other construction workers to accept bribes of $40 to $400 per working day from over 80 carpenters, general workers, riggers and electrical workers. The bribe payments received by the trio amounted to about $700,000. Tang also allegedly accepted from one of the site team leaders bribes of $100 to $200 per working day, totalling about $14,000.

In addition, Tang allegedly conspired with that site team leader to instruct some workers to make false statements to ICAC officers that no rebates had been paid to the duo.

In the second case, it is alleged that between March 2021 and April 2022, Jiang accepted bribes totalling over $66,000 from two carpenters, and demanded with menaces a daily payment of $300 per day from one of them in relation to his work.

For the remaining case, Ting allegedly accepted bribes totalling over $22,000 from two workers between March and June 2022.

ICAC enquiries revealed that the three defendants allegedly accepted bribes from workers for assisting them to secure or continue their employment with MEL, or assigning work to workers or manage them taking into account the bribes received.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong, the relevant main contractor SAPR JV and MEL have rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.