Hong Kong"s comprehensive anti-corruption regime deters crimes effectively
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The anti-corruption laws are administered by dedicated and professional graft-fighters with proven track records in cracking down the crime, without fear or favour. The case-based conviction rate is around 80% in recent years.
Private Sector Case
Duo jailed for 3.5 years for bribery and fraud
- Two employees of a trading company"s merchandising department were each sentenced to a jail term of three and a half years for accepting over HK$94,000 in illegal rebates from suppliers for awarding these suppliers purchase orders of HK$7.5 million. The duo had also conspired with the suppliers concerned to deceive more than HK$1.8 million from the trading company by marking up quotation prices from the suppliers and subsequently pocketing the inflated sum. In sentencing the culprits, the Judge remarked that:
"The offences are serious offences involving a breach of trust…. Offences of this kind do immense damage to Hong Kong"s international reputation in this regard."
Public Sector Case
Law enforcer got 14 months for bribery and misconduct
- A law enforcer was sentenced to 14 months" imprisonment for soliciting a loan of HK$20,000 and accepting an advantage of HK$10,000 from a businessman as a reward for divulging personal particulars and/or criminal records of the same individuals to the businessman, and for misconducting himself in public office by conducting unauthorised checks on the above restricted information from government computer databases. In sentencing, the Judge said that:
"Such corrupt acts would not be endured in the Hong Kong society which has a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption… The court has all along emphasised that the sentence has to have a deterrent effect." (translated from the judgment in Chinese)
Public Election Case
Election candidate had jail term increased to 12 months after review of sentence for vote-buying offence
- A candidate of a public election had offered a bribe of HK$130,000 to an elector of his constituency for inducing the latter to vote for him at that election. The candidate was convicted and originally sentenced to 14 weeks" imprisonment. His jail term was later increased substantially to 12 months by the Court of Appeal following a review of his sentence for vote-buying offence. The Court of Appeal indicated that:
"The [defendant] had acted in flagrant disregard of the sanctity and integrity of the electoral system. The court is duty bound to impose deterrent sentences to stop any corrupt and illegal practices in elections."