Integrity Focus

Two foremen and three workers of a contractor of a commercial complex construction project, charged by the ICAC, today (July 8) admitted at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts that they had falsified attendance records of workers by altering facial images registered with the facial recognition system at the construction site to defraud the contractor of wage payments totalling over $250,000.

Tang Yu-ching, former assistant general foreman of Sunnic Engineering Limited (Sunnic), 44; Chan Tin-hon, former foreman of Sunnic, 43; and three construction workers, namely Chiu Kim-wan, Choi Yun and Mak Chi-kin, aged between 35 and 56, pleaded guilty to a total of six counts of fraud, contrary to section 16A (1) of the Theft Ordinance.

Magistrate Mr Edward Wong Ching-yu adjourned the case to September 1 for mitigation and sentence, and granted the five defendants bail.

The ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint. The court heard that in June 2021, Sunnic was engaged as the main contractor of the construction project of a commercial complex in Tsim Sha Tsui. Tang and Chan, respectively the assistant general foreman and foreman of Sunnic, were responsible for supervising the operation of the construction site of the project.

Workers of the project were required to register their facial images with the facial recognition system for accessing the site. They were also required to scan their faces for taking attendance when reporting on and off duty. Based on the attendance records, Sunnic would calculate and release wage payments each month.

The court heard that between December 2022 and January 2023, Tang had referred six construction workers, including Chiu, Choi and Mak, to work at the site as general workers. Facial images of the six workers were registered in the facial recognition system by Chan.

The relevant attendance records showed that the six workers had respectively worked at the site for 36 days to 43 days, leading to Sunnic’s subsequent release of wage payments totalling over $250,000 to a subcontractor. But ICAC enquiries revealed that Tang had told the workers that they were not required to work at the site and the wage payments were eventually passed to Tang and Chan.

The ICAC investigation revealed that Tang had arranged Chan to alter the facial images of the six workers registered with the facial recognition system by replacing them with Chan’s facial image so as to falsify the workers’ attendance records by scanning Chan’s face.

No plea was taken by three co-defendants, namely Lai Yu-kiu, former site administration officer of Sunnic; and two construction workers See Kwok-shing and Johnny Chong Kam-hung, when they appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts for mention today. Their case was adjourned to September 1 for mention.

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

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Ken Yip.