Integrity Focus

The ICAC yesterday (October 17) charged a former team leader and a former construction worker of a works subcontractor with soliciting and accepting bribes totalling about $98,000 from four newly-recruited formworks workers over the latter’s employment at a Community Isolation Facility construction site on Lantau Island during the pandemic.

Lui Yu-shan, 52, former team leader of Ching Hung Engineering Company Limited (Ching Hung); and Chen Qiang, 45, former construction worker of Ching Hung, jointly face three counts of agents soliciting an advantage, while Lui further faces one count of agent accepting advantages, all contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

The defendants were released on ICAC bail, pending their appearance at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts next Monday (October 21) for plea.

The alleged offences took place between March and June 2022. At the material time, Ching Hung was a formworks subcontractor of the construction of a Community Isolation Facility at Penny’s Bay on Lantau Island, responsible for providing construction workers. At that time, Lui was a team leader of Ching Hung who was tasked to refer workers to the company and to supervise them, including Chen, at the construction site. The company prohibited its employees from soliciting or accepting advantages from others in relation to Ching Hung’s business and affairs.

In March 2022, upon Chen’s referral, four formworks workers started working at the construction site at a daily wage of $2,000 each and under the supervision of Lui. On various occasions, the two defendants allegedly solicited bribes of $500 per working day from the four workers for assisting them to be employed.

The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that Lui and Chen had requested three of the formworks workers to pay the bribes to Lui. In fear of being terminated, the three workers made the bribe payments totalling about $66,000 to Lui whenever they had received wages from Ching Hung. In addition, Lui had also allegedly accepted bribes of $32,000 from another worker.

Ching Hung rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

An ICAC spokesperson stresses that soliciting or accepting bribes for assisting others in employment is a serious bribery offence. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000. The ICAC also urges construction workers not to tolerate corruption. Should they be asked to pay bribes in exchange for their employment, they should reject and report to the ICAC immediately through the 24-hour hotline (25 266 366).