Ex-company director jailed for bribing bank manager over account opening
2023-4-14
A former director of a trading company was brought to the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (April 14) after being charged by the ICAC yesterday (April 13) with offering a bribe of $1,000 to a bank manager for opening an account for his company. He was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment after entering a guilty plea.
LI Qingbo, 33, former sole director-cum-shareholder of Sanfu Import & Export Co., Limited (Sanfu), pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
In sentencing, Principal Magistrate Miss Ivy Chui Yee-mei said banks in Hong Kong maintained a stringent vetting mechanism. The offence committed by the defendant was serious, warranting an immediate custodial sentence, as he had offered bribe to a bank employee after knowing that the bank had reservation about his account opening application.
The court heard that on June 26, 2014, the defendant visited a business centre of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) in Central to open a corporate bank account for Sanfu, a trading company registered in Hong Kong. He was received by an account opening manager, who conducted customer due diligence on Sanfu, including examining its background and business transaction records.
Since the defendant failed to provide Sanfu’s transaction records with its business partners and could not answer basic questions about the company, the manager requested him to provide further supporting documents for considering the application.
The defendant then offered two $500 banknotes to the manager for assisting him in opening an account. The manager turned down the offer immediately and reported the matter to HSBC. The defendant subsequently left Hong Kong, he was arrested and charged by the ICAC when he visited Hong Kong again recently.
HSBC rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Fiona Wan.
LI Qingbo, 33, former sole director-cum-shareholder of Sanfu Import & Export Co., Limited (Sanfu), pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
In sentencing, Principal Magistrate Miss Ivy Chui Yee-mei said banks in Hong Kong maintained a stringent vetting mechanism. The offence committed by the defendant was serious, warranting an immediate custodial sentence, as he had offered bribe to a bank employee after knowing that the bank had reservation about his account opening application.
The court heard that on June 26, 2014, the defendant visited a business centre of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) in Central to open a corporate bank account for Sanfu, a trading company registered in Hong Kong. He was received by an account opening manager, who conducted customer due diligence on Sanfu, including examining its background and business transaction records.
Since the defendant failed to provide Sanfu’s transaction records with its business partners and could not answer basic questions about the company, the manager requested him to provide further supporting documents for considering the application.
The defendant then offered two $500 banknotes to the manager for assisting him in opening an account. The manager turned down the offer immediately and reported the matter to HSBC. The defendant subsequently left Hong Kong, he was arrested and charged by the ICAC when he visited Hong Kong again recently.
HSBC rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Fiona Wan.