Man charged by ICAC with bribing TD driving examiner for getting a pass
2022-12-16
A man who made a mistake at a road driving test of the Transport Department (TD) was charged by the ICAC today (December 16) with bribing a driving examiner with $2,000 to get a pass.
Lai Cheung-ming, 60, faces a charge of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. He was released on ICAC bail, pending his appearance at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts next Tuesday (December 20) for plea.
On July 9, 2022, the defendant attended Yau Tong Driving Test Centre of the TD for his road driving test. A Driving Examiner II of the TD was his examiner.
The defendant had allegedly made a serious mistake during the test and offered $2,000 to the examiner in a bid to secure a pass in the test.
The examiner immediately turned down the offer and reported the incident to the TD right after the test. The defendant was arrested by ICAC officers on the spot upon the ICAC’s receipt of a corruption complaint referred by the TD on the same day.
The TD has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case. Legal advice was sought from the Department of Justice upon completion of the investigation, and the defendant was then charged accordingly pursuant to the legal advice.
An ICAC spokesperson notes that a clean civil service has all along been the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s success. The Commission praises civil servants who say no to corruption by upholding their integrity, and reminds members of the public that bribing civil servants is a serious offence. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000.
Lai Cheung-ming, 60, faces a charge of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. He was released on ICAC bail, pending his appearance at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts next Tuesday (December 20) for plea.
On July 9, 2022, the defendant attended Yau Tong Driving Test Centre of the TD for his road driving test. A Driving Examiner II of the TD was his examiner.
The defendant had allegedly made a serious mistake during the test and offered $2,000 to the examiner in a bid to secure a pass in the test.
The examiner immediately turned down the offer and reported the incident to the TD right after the test. The defendant was arrested by ICAC officers on the spot upon the ICAC’s receipt of a corruption complaint referred by the TD on the same day.
The TD has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case. Legal advice was sought from the Department of Justice upon completion of the investigation, and the defendant was then charged accordingly pursuant to the legal advice.
An ICAC spokesperson notes that a clean civil service has all along been the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s success. The Commission praises civil servants who say no to corruption by upholding their integrity, and reminds members of the public that bribing civil servants is a serious offence. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000.