Community Care Fund applicant charged by ICAC guilty of bribery
2022-7-5
An applicant of the Community Care Fund (CCF), charged by the ICAC, was today (July 5) convicted at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts of bribing staff members of the CCF Secretariat in relation to his application for an allowance.
Yang Jigang, 63, was found guilty of one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Magistrate Ms Stephanie Tsui May-har adjourned the case to July 19 for sentence, pending the defendant’s background report. The defendant was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.
The court heard that the One-off Allowance for New Arrivals from Low-income Families Programme (the Programme) of the CCF was administered by the CCF Secretariat under the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB). It provided a one-off $10,000 allowance to low income families to help them adapt and integrate into the community.
Applications of the Programme were handled by staff members of employment agencies engaged by the CCF Secretariat. Applicants were required to furnish their personal information and other relevant documentary proof. They would be asked by staff members of the CCF Secretariat to provide additional information by post or by fax if their applications did not contain complete information.
In mid-October 2020, the defendant submitted his application of the Programme. In early December 2020, the CCF Secretariat sent a letter to the defendant notifying him that his application form was found incomplete and requested him to resubmit his application for further processing.
On December 10, 2020, the CCF Secretariat received an envelope containing a $500 banknote with the name and address of the defendant written on it. A staff member of the CCF Secretariat called the defendant twice on the same day to ascertain his reason for enclosing the banknote.
The defendant said the money was a “handling fee” but the staff member replied that applicants were not required to pay any handling fee and asked him to get back the money. The defendant then asked the staff member to accept it for “taking a meal”.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the CCF Secretariat. The HAB and the CCF Secretariat 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 Beney Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Rani Chau.
The ICAC reminds members of the public not to offer bribe to obtain public services. If fees and charges are required for a particular public service, the amount required and the payment method would be made public. It is illegal for any applicant to offer extra “handling fee” or “reward” to the handling officer for approving an application.
Yang Jigang, 63, was found guilty of one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Magistrate Ms Stephanie Tsui May-har adjourned the case to July 19 for sentence, pending the defendant’s background report. The defendant was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.
The court heard that the One-off Allowance for New Arrivals from Low-income Families Programme (the Programme) of the CCF was administered by the CCF Secretariat under the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB). It provided a one-off $10,000 allowance to low income families to help them adapt and integrate into the community.
Applications of the Programme were handled by staff members of employment agencies engaged by the CCF Secretariat. Applicants were required to furnish their personal information and other relevant documentary proof. They would be asked by staff members of the CCF Secretariat to provide additional information by post or by fax if their applications did not contain complete information.
In mid-October 2020, the defendant submitted his application of the Programme. In early December 2020, the CCF Secretariat sent a letter to the defendant notifying him that his application form was found incomplete and requested him to resubmit his application for further processing.
On December 10, 2020, the CCF Secretariat received an envelope containing a $500 banknote with the name and address of the defendant written on it. A staff member of the CCF Secretariat called the defendant twice on the same day to ascertain his reason for enclosing the banknote.
The defendant said the money was a “handling fee” but the staff member replied that applicants were not required to pay any handling fee and asked him to get back the money. The defendant then asked the staff member to accept it for “taking a meal”.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the CCF Secretariat. The HAB and the CCF Secretariat 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 Beney Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Rani Chau.
The ICAC reminds members of the public not to offer bribe to obtain public services. If fees and charges are required for a particular public service, the amount required and the payment method would be made public. It is illegal for any applicant to offer extra “handling fee” or “reward” to the handling officer for approving an application.