Integrity Focus

A senior manager of a main contractor, charged by the ICAC, accepted a bribe of $1 million from a subcontractor for favouring the latter over the Kai Tak Sports Park project and a private construction project. The defendant today (August 12) pleaded guilty at the District Court.

Ringo Ng Wo-nang, 60, then senior manager of site services department of Hip Hing Construction Company Limited (Hip Hing), plead guilty to one count of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

The defendant was granted bail by Deputy District Judge Ms Leung Ka-kie, and the case was adjourned to October 8 for the defendant’s mitigation.

The court heard that, at the material time, Hip Hing was the main contractor of various public and private construction projects in Hong Kong. Lee Shing Masonry Engineering Limited (Lee Shing) obtained from Hip Hing a masonry contract worth over $58 million of a private construction project in 2020, and further bid for two masonry works contracts worth totalling about $200 million of the Kai Tak Sports Park project in 2021.

The defendant was a senior manager of site services department of Hip Hing in charge of the site services support of the construction sites managed by Hip Hing. Due to operational need, he had access to the tender information of Hip Hing’s projects.

ICAC enquiries revealed that since early 2019, a Lee Shing director cum shareholder (the director) had sought advice from the defendant on matters concerning the cooperation between Lee Shing and Hip Hing, including the tender progress of the masonry works under Hip Hing and how to submit quotations to Hip Hing. The defendant also tipped off the director about the tender progress of Hip Hing’s projects, and claimed that he had obtained favourable assistance to Lee Shing, such as releasing project payments promptly and raising the amount of the variation order of the project.

In April 2020, during the tender process for the masonry works of the aforementioned private construction project, the defendant claimed to the director that he had communicated with one of the relevant officers in charge of the project. Lee Shing later obtained the masonry works contract for the project from Hip Hing. After that, the director also asked the defendant about the quotation matter on the variation order of the project.

In addition, in May 2021, the defendant tipped off the director that Hip Hing was about to send out tender invitations for masonry works of the northern part of the Kai Tak Sports Park project. On July 27 of the same year, the director consulted the defendant on the price matters of the project, and the defendant agreed to discuss with him that afternoon. Later that day, the director handed over a recycle bag containing $1 million in cash to the defendant and was caught red-handed by ICAC officers.

Three other defendants in this case earlier pleaded not guilty to their charges, and the trial commenced today at the District Court.

The ICAC reminds practitioners to adhere strictly to the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and not to use their official capacity for personal gains, thus destroying the fair and clean business environment. The Construction Industry Integrity Charter 2.0 launched by the ICAC, the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council requires the participating companies to put in place an Integrity Management System (IMS) (cpas.icac.hk/EN/Info/TP_Library?cate_id=10025). IMS prohibits staff from soliciting and accepting advantages from any organisations or individuals having business dealings with the companies.

Hip Hing rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Eddie Sean and Vienna Fong, assisted by ICAC officers Wily Chan and Rex Tse.