Integrity Focus

A 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, was today (February 26) sentenced at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts to seven months’ imprisonment for accepting bribes totalling about $160,000 from four carpenters for securing their employment.

He Yuchuan, 57, then site team leader of MLife Engineering Limited (MEL), earlier this month pleaded guilty to six counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. He was also ordered to pay MEL a restitution of about $160,000, equivalent to the amount of bribes he received.

In sentencing, Acting Principal Magistrate Mr Cheng Lim-chi reprimanded He for soliciting bribes from hard-working workers and lowering their hard-earned rewards. While workers acceded to He’s requests due to fear of losing their jobs, the amount of bribes involved in the present case was not insignificant. The court had to impose a custodial sentence on He.

Chow Kwai-fai, 50, another then MEL site team leader charged by the ICAC in the case for allegedly accepting bribes of about $44,000 from a carpenter by blackmail, earlier pleaded not guilty to one count of bribery and one count of blackmail. His case was set for trial on March 26.

At the material time, MEL was a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project responsible for recruiting construction workers to conduct various works. The duo led two teams of carpenters to work at the project’s construction site and 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.

The court heard that between September 2020 and January 2022, He had demanded bribes ranging from $100 to $200 per working day from four carpenters under his supervision. The four workers paid bribes to He reluctantly as they believed that they would have been terminated if they did not accede to He’s solicitation. As a result, He accepted bribes totalling about $160,000 from the four workers.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong, the relevant main contractor SAPR JV and MEL rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Lawrence Wong.