Integrity Focus

A then team leader and a then construction worker of a works subcontractor, charged by the ICAC, today (March 26) received a custodial sentence and a community service order at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts respectively for soliciting and accepting bribes totalling about $98,000 from four formwork workers referred by them to work at a Community Isolation Facility construction site on Lantau Island during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lui Yu-shan, 53, then team leader of Ching Hung Engineering Company Limited (Ching Hung), was jailed for 18 weeks; co-defendant Chen Qiang, 46, then construction worker of Ching Hung, was ordered to perform 180 hours of community service. The duo earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of agents soliciting an advantage and one count of agent accepting advantages in total, all contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

In sentencing, Acting Principal Magistrate Mr Cheng Lim-chi reprimanded the defendants for exploiting their fellow workers. Lui, who played a key role in the present case and accepted bribes from workers, deserved a custodial sentence. Chen solicited bribes from workers but did not make any personal gain, was handed a community service order.

The Acting Principal Magistrate had earlier ordered the duo to make a restitution of about $98,000, being the bribes involved in the present case, to their then employer, Ching Hung.

The court heard that between March and June 2022, 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. Lui was a team leader of Ching Hung tasked to refer workers to the company and to supervise them, including Chen, at the construction site.

In early March 2022, four formworks workers started working at the construction site at a daily wage of $2,000 each under the supervision of Lui upon Chen’s referral. On various occasions, the two defendants solicited bribes of $500 per working day from the four workers and requested them to pay the bribes to Lui in relation to their employment.

The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that the four workers made bribe payments totalling about $98,000 to Lui after receiving wages from Ching Hung in fear of losing their jobs.

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

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Keith Yan.