A former Chief Secretary for Administration (CS) of the Hong Kong Government, three senior members of a listed company in Hong Kong (Company A) and a businessman have been charged by the ICAC today (Friday) with a total of eight alleged offences including conspiracy to offer advantages to a public servant and misconduct in public office, and will appear in Eastern Magistracy at 2:30 pm today for mention.

The defendants are D1, 64, former CS of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and former managing director of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA); D2, 60, D3, 59, both joint chairmen of Company A; D4, 65, executive director of Comapny A; and D5, 61, businessman.

The eight charges include two of misconduct in public office and three of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office; two of conspiracy to offer advantages to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance; and one of furnishing false information.

D1 alone faces two misconduct charges, which allege him of, in the course of or in relation to his public office, namely managing director of MPFA and CS, having wilfully misconducted himself by accepting the rent free use of two flats and three unsecured loans, failing to disclose or declare such matters to the MPFA and the Hong Kong Government, and involving himself in matters in his official capacities.

D1 and D2 face a joint charge of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, while D1 and D3 jointly face a similar conspiracy charge.

D1, D2, D4 and D5 are also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, which alleges them of having conspired together for D1 to receive a series of payments from D2, D4 and D5.

D1 and D3 face one count of conspiring together to offer D1 the annual extensions of an unsecured loan advanced by a subsidiary of Company A as a reward for D1 to remain favourably disposed to D3 and/or his interests.

D1, D4 and D5 are also jointly charged with one count of conspiring together to offer D1 a series of payments from D4 and D5 as a reward for D1 to remain favourably disposed to D4 and/or his interests.

D1 and D3 also jointly face one count of furnishing false information on an invoice for settlement of consultancy fees.

The above offences allegedly took place between June 2000 and January 2009.

The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above alleged offences.

The defendants have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearance this afternoon.