Integrity Focus

A then electrician employed by a subcontractor of the construction site of a Community Isolation Facility in Yuen Long during the COVID-19 pandemic was charged by the ICAC yesterday (October 12) with soliciting and accepting bribes from five fellow workers over their employment, and blackmailing one of the workers who declined his solicitation.

Fung Sui-tuen, 37, former electrician of Perfect City Engineering Limited (Perfect City), faces six charges – two of agent accepting an advantage and three of agent soliciting an advantage, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and one of blackmail, contrary to section 23(1) of the Theft Ordinance.

The defendant was released on ICAC bail, pending his appearance in the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts next Monday (October 16) for plea.

When the offences took place between March and April 2022, the defendant was employed by Perfect City as an electrician to conduct urgent fire service installation works at the construction site of a Community Isolation Facility in Yuen Long.

At the material time, the defendant referred another worker to work on night shifts at the site, while four other workers were later directly or indirectly referred by the aforesaid worker to join the team. The defendant and the aforesaid five workers were each paid a wage of $2,700 per night-shift.

It is alleged that the defendant accepted bribes totalling $600 from two of the workers for assisting them to be employed by Perfect City. He also allegedly solicited from the remaining three workers bribes totalling at least $800 for the same purpose. ICAC enquiries revealed that his solicitations were eventually declined.

Meanwhile, the defendant also allegedly made an unwarranted demand of $400 with menaces from one of the aforesaid workers who declined his solicitation.

Perfect City, which has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation, does not allow its workers to solicit or accept any advantage from any person for referring them to be employed by the company.

In recent years, the ICAC has taken a series of enforcement actions against solicitation and acceptance of illegal rebates from construction workers and launched a series of relevant publicity and education programmes. 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.