Integrity Focus

The ICAC had earlier charged a number of site team leaders of a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project of the Hong Kong International Airport (Third Runway Project) with bribery over employment of workers. One of the defendants was today sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at District Court today (March 18) for accepting bribes totalling about $700,000 from over 80 fellow workers and perverting the course of public justice. This jail term is the longest meted out by the court so far on such cases.

Tang Kwok-leung, 50, then site team leader of MLife Engineering Limited (MEL), earlier pleaded guilty to three charges – two of conspiracy for agents to accept advantages, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance 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.

In sentencing, Deputy District Judge Mr Caesar Lo Chi-lam reprimanded Tang for constituting a breach of trust, adding that his acts caused bad influence to the society. Tang was also ordered to pay MEL a restitution of about $700,000 for the bribes he accepted.

At the material time, MEL was a sub-contractor of the Third Runway Project responsible for recruiting construction workers to conduct various works. Tang led fellow workers 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 June 2020 and March 2021, Tang had instructed two other site team leaders, Liu Yin-man and Meng Zhijiang, to accept bribes of $40 to $400 per working day, totalling about $700,000, from around 80 carpenters, general workers, riggers and electrical workers. The ICAC investigation revealed that the workers worried about losing their jobs and paid bribes to Tang reluctantly.

In the course of the ICAC investigation, Tang also conspired with Meng to instruct some workers to make false statements to ICAC officers by saying that they had not paid any bribes to Tang or other individuals.

Liu and Meng were earlier charged by the ICAC in separate cases. They were both sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, following their guilty pleas to offences of bribery and perversion.

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

The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Mickey Fung, and assisted by ICAC officers Lee Chi-fung and Cyrus Chan.