Integrity Focus

A then assistant manager of a telecommunications company and three others were earlier charged by the ICAC for allegedly concealing the assistant manager’s interest in a contractor to secure fibre installation service orders worth totalling $180,000. The assistant manager was today (January 19) laid with an additional perversion charge for allegedly making a false representation about declaring his role in the contractor to the company during the anti-graft agency’s investigation.

The four defendants were Chan Chun-kin, 43, former assistant manager of Technical & Service Support Department of i-CABLE Communications Limited (i-CABLE); his girlfriend Fok Yuen-kei, 44; his personal friend Lo Lok-hei, 43, sole director cum shareholder of Lokkin Engineering Limited (Lokkin); and Chan Hau-leung, 36, technician of a contractor of i-CABLE. They earlier pleaded not guilty to three counts of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, contrary to Section 18(1) of the Theft Ordinance.

When the four defendants appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts for a pre-trial review today, Chan Chun-kin was laid with an additional count of doing an act or a series of acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, contrary to Common Law, upon further legal advice of the Department of Justice.

Chan Chun-kin pleaded not guilty to the additional charge. Magistrate Mr Jason Wan Siu-ming adjourned the case to April 2 for trial and granted bail to the four defendants.)

At the material time, Chan Chun-kin was an assistant manager of Technical & Service Support Department of i-CABLE. He was responsible for monitoring and evaluating the service quality of contractors engaged by the department to conduct networking installation and maintenance works at customers’ premises and to make recommendation on the engagement of contractors.

The policies of i-CABLE stipulated that all employees should avoid actual or potential conflict of interest and that they should fill in and submit declaration forms to declare their conflict of interest in writing to the management.

The charges earlier laid against the four defendants alleged that between May and August 2022, they dishonestly obtained for Lokkin opportunities to earn remuneration in respect of three service orders regarding fibre installation at three estates by concealing from i-CABLE that Chan Chun-kin was the beneficial owner and operator of Lokkin.

The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption investigation. Enquiries revealed that upon Chan Chun-kin’s recommendation, Lokkin was engaged by i-CABLE as a contractor for fibre installation works. Lokkin was subsequently awarded the three service orders of fibre installation for three estates worth totalling $180,000.

The additional charge alleged that Chan Chun-kin intended to pervert the course of public justice between mid-September and early October 2022, which was after his arrest by the ICAC. He allegedly made a false representation to i-CABLE that he had submitted a declaration form to the company in late 2021 to declare his role in Lokkin.

An ICAC spokesperson notes that perverting the course of public justice is a serious offence. An offender is liable on conviction to an imprisonment for any term and a fine of any amount. Should such illegal acts be found in ICAC cases, the Commission would not tolerate them and would follow up on them in a serious manner.

i-CABLE has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Claudia Ng, assisted by ICAC officer Chris Lai.