Integrity Focus

A then foreman of a subcontractor of the Terminal 2 expansion works of the Hong Kong International Airport, charged by the ICAC, today (May 26) admitted at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts that he had solicited and accepted bribes totalling about $16,000 from three bar-benders for assisting them to continue their employment and assigning overtime work to earn extra payments.

Ko Chun-yin, 31, then foreman of Ho Chau & Sons (HK) Engineering Limited (HCL), pleaded guilty to two counts of agent soliciting an advantage and six counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. The prosecution offered no evidence to three similar charges against him.

Magistrate Mr Gary Chu Man-hon adjourned the case to June 9 for sentence, pending the defendant’s background report. The defendant was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.

The court heard that HCL was a subcontractor of the Terminal 2 expansion works of the Hong Kong International Airport at the material time. The defendant was a foreman of HCL responsible for leading a team of bar-benders and assigning work to them. Should workers be required to work overtime, they would be paid 1.5 to two times of the standard hourly rate. HCL prohibited its employees from soliciting or accepting any advantages from others in relation to its business and affairs.

Between April 2022 and February 2023, the defendant had respectively solicited from three bar-benders bribes of $100 per working day or an unspecified amount of “tea money” for assisting them to continue their employment with HCL. During the period, the defendant had eventually accepted bribes totalling $6,800 from the trio.

The defendant had also solicited from one of the bar-benders bribes of $200 per working day for arranging him to perform overtime work to earn extra payments.
The bar-bender reluctantly paid bribes totalling about $6,000 to the defendant for his overtime work on 30 working days.

The ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that the workers believed that the defendant had the authority to dismiss them. The trio reluctantly paid bribes to the defendant as they worried about losing their jobs. One of the workers was dismissed on the spot after he refused to pay a bribe of $3,000 solicited by the defendant.

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

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Moon Leung.

An ICAC spokesperson notes that the Commission has zero tolerance for corruption and will continue to collaborate with government departments, public bodies, industry bodies and other relevant stakeholders to prevent similar crimes. Should construction workers be asked to pay bribes in exchange for their employment or continuing their employment, they should reject and report to the ICAC immediately. The ICAC’s report corruption hotline: 25 266 366.