Integrity Focus

A man was charged by the ICAC yesterday (July 11) for allegedly offering 30 per cent of the profit of a renovation project of a private residential building to the secretary of its incorporated owners (IO) so as to assist a contractor to obtain the contract worth over $70 million.

Ronny Ho Por-tim, 75, senior property advisor, faces one count of conspiracy to offer an advantage to an agent, contrary to section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance. He was released on ICAC bail, pending his appearance at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (July 13). The prosecution will apply for transferring the case to the District Court for plea.

The defendant was the secretary of the IO of Kwan Yick Building Phase II (Kwan Yick II) in Sai Ying Pun from April 2017 to January 2018. The IO resolved to conduct a renovation project for Kwan Yick II (the project) and the cost of the project estimated by the consultant in 2021 was around $78 million. The IO subsequently conducted a tender exercise to select the contractor for the project, and the bids received ranged from around $45 million to $140 million.

It is alleged that between late September 2021 and mid-August 2022, the defendant conspired with other persons to offer a bribe equivalent to 30 per cent of the profit of the project to the secretary of the IO of Kwan Yick II for assisting those persons to obtain the relevant contract.

The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that the defendant told the IO secretary that an associate of him would submit a tender for the project. The defendant allegedly appealed for the IO secretary’s assistance to obtain the contract for his associate, adding that the associate would offer 30 per cent of the profit to the IO secretary as a reward. The defendant also sent a photograph to the IO secretary to indicate the company name concerned.

ICAC enquiries also revealed that the defendant said his associate estimated that the cost of the project was around $70 million, with approximately 10 per cent profit margin.

The IO secretary did not accept the advantage of around $2.1 million offered by the defendant and the contractor allegedly involved in this case did not obtain the contract eventually.

The IO of Kwan Yick II has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.

The ICAC reminds building management bodies and contractors that they should never take part in any corrupt and illegal activities while conducting building maintenance works. Property owners should also actively participate in managing their buildings and maintenance-related matters, and stay vigilant to relevant risks of corruption. Should anyone come across suspected corruption, they should report it to the ICAC immediately.

The ICAC provides a wide range of corruption prevention and educational services to building management stakeholders. For details, please visit the ICAC’s Government Subsidy Schemes for Building Maintenance - Corruption Preventive Education thematic website and the Corruption Prevention Advisory Service Web Portal.