Integrity Focus

Two then site team leaders of a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project of the Hong Kong International Airport (Third Runway Project), charged by the ICAC in separate cases, were both sentenced to three months’ imprisonment today (February 21) at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts for accepting bribes totalling about $300,000 from over 30 workers over their employment, and perverting the course of public justice in the Commission’s investigation by instructing workers to falsely claimed that they had not paid bribes.

The defendants were Liu Yin-man, 64, then leader of a team of riggers of MLife Engineering Limited (MEL); and Meng Zhijiang, 47, then leader of a team of carpenters of MEL.

In sentencing, Magistrate Mr Peter Yu Chun-cheung highlighted the importance of the construction industry to Hong Kong, noting that the interests of even more workers would be affected by its “customary practice” if improper offerings of illegal rebates were not curbed. The magistrate took a starting point of six months’ imprisonment and reduced the jail terms of the defendants to three months after considering their guilty plea and assistance rendered to the prosecution by testifying against another site team leader implicated in the present case.

The Magistrate also ordered Liu to pay a restitution of $15,500, equivalent to the amount of bribes he accepted, to his then employer – MEL.

At the material time, MEL was a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project responsible for recruiting construction workers to conduct various works. Upon the referral of another site team leader Tang Kwok-leung, Liu and Meng were employed by MEL as site team leaders to respectively lead a team of workers at the project’s construction site. The duo had the authority to assign work to workers. MEL did not allow any employees to solicit or accept any advantages from other employees for assisting the latter to secure their employment with the company.

Liu earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for agents to accept advantages, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO) and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance. On seven occasions between September 2020 and March 2021, Liu had collected bribes totalling about $230,000 from 29 riggers referred by him to join MEL on the instruction of Tang. Liu kept about $15,500 out of the bribes received and passed the remaining sum of over $210,000 to Tang according to their agreement.

Meng earlier pleaded guilty to four charges – two of conspiracy for agents to accept advantages; one of conspiracy to offer advantages to an agent, contrary to section 9(2)(a) of the POBO and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance; and one of conspiracy to do an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, contrary to the Common Law and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.

Upon the instruction of Tang, Meng had collected bribes totalling over $66,000 from two carpenters in his team and passed the same to Tang between August 2020 and April 2021. Meng himself had also paid bribes of $100 to $200 per working day to Tang for about six months.

The court heard that Tang was arrested by the ICAC in March 2021. During ICAC’s investigation, Tang and Liu conspired together to instruct workers to make false statements to ICAC officers that no bribes had been paid by them to Tang or Meng.

The ICAC investigation revealed that the workers worried about losing their jobs and paid bribes to Tang, Liu or Meng reluctantly.

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officers Cody Chung and Cyrus Chan in the two cases.

Tang, 50, was charged by the ICAC in a separate case. He admitted that he had accepted bribes totalling about $700,000 from about 80 workers, as well as his role in perverting the course of public justice. The case was adjourned to March 18 for sentence at the District Court.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong, the main contractor of the Third Runway Project, SAPR JV, and MEL rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the cases.