Integrity Focus

Following the receipt of corruption complaints alleging wage exploitation of imported workers, the ICAC conducted an investigation and revealed that a leader of a team of carpenters of the Three-Runway System Project (3RS Project) of the Hong Kong International Airport had accepted bribes totalling about $54,000 from 10 imported workers for assisting them to continue their employment. The team leader, charged by the Commission, received a jail term of 17 weeks after pleading guilty to bribery at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (November 20).

The ICAC 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. To enhance imported workers’ understanding of Hong Kong’s anti-corruption laws, the ICAC has arranged corruption prevention talks for imported workers within eight weeks of their arrival. Additionally, the ICAC will also make use of other channels to sustain the anti-graft education to imported workers.

The team leader of carpenters, Chen Xianliang, 62, was an imported worker employed by Gammon Construction Limited (Gammon). He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

In sentencing, Acting Principal Magistrate Mr Cheng Lim-chi remarked that the offences in the present case were serious in nature. The court would not tolerate any illicit activity of its kind and that an immediate custodial sentence was inevitable.

The court heard that in 2020, Gammon was awarded by the Airport Authority Hong Kong a contract of automated people mover and baggage handling system project of the 3RS Project and imported workers through the Labour Importation Scheme for Construction Sector of the Development Bureau. The defendant was an imported team leader employed by Gammon through the scheme. He was responsible for leading a team of imported carpenters under the supervision of a subcontractor of Gammon.

The ICAC investigation revealed that 10 workers referred by the defendant to work in his team at a monthly salary of $37,800 arrived Hong Kong from the Mainland in late December 2023.

After the arrival of the carpenters, the defendant solicited a bribe of $600 per working day from each of them. The carpenters believed that their employment by Gammon would not be continued if they had not paid bribes to the defendant. In the end, the defendant accepted bribes ranging from $4,800 to $5,400 from each carpenter, totalling about $54,000.

Gammon prohibited its employees from soliciting or accepting any advantages from others for matters in relation to the affairs or business of the company.

The Development Bureau and Gammon rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Fung Lee.