Eleven jailed for bribery and vote-rigging in ITFC of 2016 LegCo Election
2021-10-22
Eleven persons, including four persons associated with a taxi association, charged by the ICAC, were today (October 22) sentenced to jail terms up to 12 months at the District Court for their roles in a bribery and vote-rigging scam for 118 persons to register as members of a professional organisation with false qualifications and to become electors of the Information Technology Functional Constituency (ITFC) of the 2016 Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election, facilitating them to vote for a particular candidate at the election.
Li Wai-man, 54, then corporate affairs director of Taxi Drivers & Operators Association (TDOA), and Yeung Yiu-hung, 35, then vice secretary of TDOA, were respectively jailed for 12 months and 8 months. Poon Sau-fong, 53, then clerk of TDOA, and Lui Ah-fook, 47, then executive committee member of TDOA, were both sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment.
Lui Wai-fong, 42, and Lui King-yin, 25, respectively younger sister and son of Lui Ah-fook, and Lui Wai-fong’s brother-in-law, Chan Ki-nam, 50, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two months and 24 days to three months and 12 days.
The seven defendants earlier pleaded guilty to multiple counts of conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to engage in corrupt conduct at an election by offering an advantage to others and engaging in corrupt conduct at an election by accepting an advantage.
Co-defendants Chan Wing-hang, Kwok Ka-kin, Lim Chak-him and Ng Ka-ho, aged between 23 and 24, received jail terms ranging from six weeks to three months. They were each convicted of one count of engaging in corrupt conduct at an election by accepting an advantage after trial.
The Luis, Chan Wing-hang, Ng and Chan Ki-nam were also ordered to pay $700 to $1,000 each to the court.
In sentencing, Judge Katherine Lo Kit-yee said the offences committed by the defendants undermined the integrity of the election, which warranted deterrent custodial sentences.
The ICAC has issued guidelines to specified bodies under LegCo Functional Constituencies to assist them to strengthen their membership administration, so as to prevent vote-rigging by ineligible persons obtaining membership in the specified bodies by deception and then voting in the respective elections. The ICAC has also provided corruption prevention advice to specified bodies participating for the first time in the upcoming LegCo Election.
The ICAC reminds members of the public that bribing electors is a corrupt conduct and a serious offence. Anyone should refrain from offering advantages, refreshments or entertainment at an election in exchange for votes. All stakeholders in public elections, including the upcoming LegCo Election, should abide by the law and uphold a clean election.
For the upcoming LegCo Election, the ICAC has kicked off a series of multi-faceted education and publicity programmes to promote a clean election culture and help all stakeholders understand the provisions of the ECICO and anti-bribery messages.
The 2016 LegCo General Election was held on September 4, 2016 and two candidates competed in the ITFC. At the material time, Li conspired together with Yeung Yiu-hung and Poon to defraud the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) by applying for full membership in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., Hong Kong Section (IEEE) for TDOA members with false information about their professional qualification and education, making applications to the REO for registration in the ITFC by those persons and inducing the latter to approve applications, so that they would be entitled to vote in the ITFC.
With Li’s knowledge, Lui Ah-fook invited his three younger sisters to join an “IT Club” for $1,000 each, under a condition that the trio were required to register as voters and vote as instructed in the ITFC of above election (the scheme). Lui Wai-fong also extended the invitation to Chan Ki-nam, while Lui King-yin mentioned the scheme with Chan Wing-hang, Kwok, Lim and Ng. Lui Ah-fook then forwarded personal particulars of 36 persons to Li in the same month.
As a result, about 127 persons, including Li, Yeung Yiu-hung, Poon, and the aforesaid 36 persons associated with the Luis, were registered as full members of the IEEE. Relevant membership fees was paid by Yeung Yiu-hung with his credit cards, which was subsequently settled by Li, mostly through cash deposit at automatic teller machines.
Afterwards the REO received the voter registration forms of 124 persons, ICAC investigation discovered that they all carried the same typo. A total of 118 of them were included in the 2016 Final Register of Electors of the ITFC.
Lui Wai-fong, Lui King-yin and Chan Ki-nam subsequently each collected $1,000 from Lui Ah-fook, while Lui King-yin paid Chan Wing-hang, Kwok, Lim and Ng each $700 to $850.
In addition, Li urged Yeung Yiu-hung, Lui Ah-fook and Lui Wai-fong to vote for Yeung Chuen-sing who competed in the ITFC at the election. Lui Wai-fong and Lui King-yin also made the same appeal to their associates on the polling day. Yeung Chuen-sing’s rival was elected at the end.
The REO had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions David Chan, prosecuting counsel Newman Wong and Arthur Wong, and Public Prosecutor Dimitri Au-Yeung, assisted by ICAC officer Oscar Lau.
Li Wai-man, 54, then corporate affairs director of Taxi Drivers & Operators Association (TDOA), and Yeung Yiu-hung, 35, then vice secretary of TDOA, were respectively jailed for 12 months and 8 months. Poon Sau-fong, 53, then clerk of TDOA, and Lui Ah-fook, 47, then executive committee member of TDOA, were both sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment.
Lui Wai-fong, 42, and Lui King-yin, 25, respectively younger sister and son of Lui Ah-fook, and Lui Wai-fong’s brother-in-law, Chan Ki-nam, 50, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two months and 24 days to three months and 12 days.
The seven defendants earlier pleaded guilty to multiple counts of conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to engage in corrupt conduct at an election by offering an advantage to others and engaging in corrupt conduct at an election by accepting an advantage.
Co-defendants Chan Wing-hang, Kwok Ka-kin, Lim Chak-him and Ng Ka-ho, aged between 23 and 24, received jail terms ranging from six weeks to three months. They were each convicted of one count of engaging in corrupt conduct at an election by accepting an advantage after trial.
The Luis, Chan Wing-hang, Ng and Chan Ki-nam were also ordered to pay $700 to $1,000 each to the court.
In sentencing, Judge Katherine Lo Kit-yee said the offences committed by the defendants undermined the integrity of the election, which warranted deterrent custodial sentences.
The ICAC has issued guidelines to specified bodies under LegCo Functional Constituencies to assist them to strengthen their membership administration, so as to prevent vote-rigging by ineligible persons obtaining membership in the specified bodies by deception and then voting in the respective elections. The ICAC has also provided corruption prevention advice to specified bodies participating for the first time in the upcoming LegCo Election.
The ICAC reminds members of the public that bribing electors is a corrupt conduct and a serious offence. Anyone should refrain from offering advantages, refreshments or entertainment at an election in exchange for votes. All stakeholders in public elections, including the upcoming LegCo Election, should abide by the law and uphold a clean election.
For the upcoming LegCo Election, the ICAC has kicked off a series of multi-faceted education and publicity programmes to promote a clean election culture and help all stakeholders understand the provisions of the ECICO and anti-bribery messages.
The 2016 LegCo General Election was held on September 4, 2016 and two candidates competed in the ITFC. At the material time, Li conspired together with Yeung Yiu-hung and Poon to defraud the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) by applying for full membership in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., Hong Kong Section (IEEE) for TDOA members with false information about their professional qualification and education, making applications to the REO for registration in the ITFC by those persons and inducing the latter to approve applications, so that they would be entitled to vote in the ITFC.
With Li’s knowledge, Lui Ah-fook invited his three younger sisters to join an “IT Club” for $1,000 each, under a condition that the trio were required to register as voters and vote as instructed in the ITFC of above election (the scheme). Lui Wai-fong also extended the invitation to Chan Ki-nam, while Lui King-yin mentioned the scheme with Chan Wing-hang, Kwok, Lim and Ng. Lui Ah-fook then forwarded personal particulars of 36 persons to Li in the same month.
As a result, about 127 persons, including Li, Yeung Yiu-hung, Poon, and the aforesaid 36 persons associated with the Luis, were registered as full members of the IEEE. Relevant membership fees was paid by Yeung Yiu-hung with his credit cards, which was subsequently settled by Li, mostly through cash deposit at automatic teller machines.
Afterwards the REO received the voter registration forms of 124 persons, ICAC investigation discovered that they all carried the same typo. A total of 118 of them were included in the 2016 Final Register of Electors of the ITFC.
Lui Wai-fong, Lui King-yin and Chan Ki-nam subsequently each collected $1,000 from Lui Ah-fook, while Lui King-yin paid Chan Wing-hang, Kwok, Lim and Ng each $700 to $850.
In addition, Li urged Yeung Yiu-hung, Lui Ah-fook and Lui Wai-fong to vote for Yeung Chuen-sing who competed in the ITFC at the election. Lui Wai-fong and Lui King-yin also made the same appeal to their associates on the polling day. Yeung Chuen-sing’s rival was elected at the end.
The REO had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions David Chan, prosecuting counsel Newman Wong and Arthur Wong, and Public Prosecutor Dimitri Au-Yeung, assisted by ICAC officer Oscar Lau.