Three real estate agents and a property vendor, charged by the ICAC, were today (Friday) respectively jailed and ordered to perform community service at Shatin Magistracy for bribery over the transaction of a property worth over $1.5 million.

D1, 27, a former branch manager of a property agency, was jailed for 14 weeks, while two former agents of the same company, D2, 27, and D3, 32, were each sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment. Each of them was also ordered to pay $4,150 in restitution to the property agency.

D1 and D2 had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of agent accepting an advantage while D3 was convicted after trial of a similar offence.

D4, 52, an owner of a property in Shatin, was ordered to perform 240 hours of community service for one count of offering an advantage to an agent which he had earlier admitted.

The court heard that in December 2007, D4 had entrusted the said property agency to sell his flat. D1 and D2 were the handling agents.

D1 and D2 subsequently told D4 that a potential buyer had offered to buy the property at $1.55 million, and asked if D4 would pay an extra commission to them if they could secure a higher selling price, a request that D4 conceded to.

On December 29, 2007, under D1 and D2's arrangement, D4 signed a provisional sale and purchase agreement with a purchaser introduced by D3 to sell his property at $1.58 million.

D4 then paid D1 and D2 $12,450 as an extra commission, which the first three defendants shared equally.

The court heard that employees of the said property agency were prohibited from soliciting or accepting any commissions from clients privately.

The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Beney Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Gary Leung.