Musical instrument wholesaler and duo charged with offering illegal rebates to instructors over purchase referrals
2020-11-24
A local wholesaler of musical instruments, its director cum shareholder and its sales director have been charged by the ICAC today (November 24) with offering illegal rebates totalling over $44,000 to five musical instrument instructors for referring students to purchase musical instruments from the wholesaler.
Chairman Instruments Trading Limited (Chairman Instruments); Yeung Lok-wah, 46, director cum shareholder of Chairman Instruments; and Tang Pui-wun, 37, sales director of Chairman Instruments, jointly face six counts of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
The defendants will appear in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday (November 26) for plea.
Chairman Instruments is a wholesaler of musical instruments in Hong Kong. At the material time, Yeung was the director cum major shareholder of Chairman Instruments responsible for its finance matters, while Tang was the sales director of the company.
According to a prevailing arrangement, Chairman Instruments would offer rebates to musical instrument instructors who referred students to purchase musical instruments from Chairman Instruments.
The charges allege that between on or about January 11, 2013 and on or about April 14, 2014, Chairman Instruments, Yeung and Tang, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, offered six rebates each ranging from over ,400 to $20,000, totalling over $44,000, to five musical instrument instructors as an inducement to or reward for assisting and arranging six customers to purchase seven musical instruments from Chairman Instruments.
The musical instrument instructors concerned were two private violin instructors, two private cello instructors and a musical instrument instructor of a music school, while the customers concerned were a student and mothers of five other students of the musical instrument instructors.
It is alleged that four violins, two cellos and a viola were purchased by those customers from Chairman Instruments at totalling over $ 140,000. Approval for acceptance of rebates totalling over $44,000 had never been sought from those customers who were not aware of the rebate arrangement.
Yeung and Tang have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearance on Thursday.
Chairman Instruments Trading Limited (Chairman Instruments); Yeung Lok-wah, 46, director cum shareholder of Chairman Instruments; and Tang Pui-wun, 37, sales director of Chairman Instruments, jointly face six counts of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
The defendants will appear in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday (November 26) for plea.
Chairman Instruments is a wholesaler of musical instruments in Hong Kong. At the material time, Yeung was the director cum major shareholder of Chairman Instruments responsible for its finance matters, while Tang was the sales director of the company.
According to a prevailing arrangement, Chairman Instruments would offer rebates to musical instrument instructors who referred students to purchase musical instruments from Chairman Instruments.
The charges allege that between on or about January 11, 2013 and on or about April 14, 2014, Chairman Instruments, Yeung and Tang, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, offered six rebates each ranging from over ,400 to $20,000, totalling over $44,000, to five musical instrument instructors as an inducement to or reward for assisting and arranging six customers to purchase seven musical instruments from Chairman Instruments.
The musical instrument instructors concerned were two private violin instructors, two private cello instructors and a musical instrument instructor of a music school, while the customers concerned were a student and mothers of five other students of the musical instrument instructors.
It is alleged that four violins, two cellos and a viola were purchased by those customers from Chairman Instruments at totalling over $ 140,000. Approval for acceptance of rebates totalling over $44,000 had never been sought from those customers who were not aware of the rebate arrangement.
Yeung and Tang have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearance on Thursday.