Prisoner of Stanley Prison charged by ICAC for offering $500,000 bribe to DoJ prosecutor over trial
2024-2-27
The ICAC today (February 27) charged a prisoner of Stanley Prison for allegedly offering a bribe of $500,000 to a public prosecutor of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to seek the latter’s assistance in interfering with the trial of another criminal case the prisoner faced.
Ko Wai-kin, 40, was charged by the ICAC with one count of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. He will be brought to the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (February 28) for plea.
At the material time, the defendant was serving a jail term at Stanley Prison. He was also involved in a deception case which would be tried at the District Court. In late February 2023, the defendant at Stanley Prison requested to send a registered mail containing a photocopy of a handwritten letter to a then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor of the DoJ.
The charge alleges that the defendant offered a bribe of $500,000 to the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor to seek the latter’s assistance in the interference with the legal proceedings of the deception case by concealing the conduct and involvement of other offender(s) in the case, and assisting in deceiving the court into concluding the case in the belief that the defendant was solely responsible for committing the offences concerned.
The then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor reported the matter to the management after receiving the letter. Upon receipt of a corruption complaint referred by the DoJ, the ICAC launched an investigation. Inquiries revealed that the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor was not involved in the prosecution of the deception case.
The DoJ and the Correctional Services Department have offered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The ICAC reminds members of the public that bribery is a serious offence, and offering bribes to public servants in exchange for assistance or favour is strictly prohibited. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000.
Ko Wai-kin, 40, was charged by the ICAC with one count of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. He will be brought to the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (February 28) for plea.
At the material time, the defendant was serving a jail term at Stanley Prison. He was also involved in a deception case which would be tried at the District Court. In late February 2023, the defendant at Stanley Prison requested to send a registered mail containing a photocopy of a handwritten letter to a then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor of the DoJ.
The charge alleges that the defendant offered a bribe of $500,000 to the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor to seek the latter’s assistance in the interference with the legal proceedings of the deception case by concealing the conduct and involvement of other offender(s) in the case, and assisting in deceiving the court into concluding the case in the belief that the defendant was solely responsible for committing the offences concerned.
The then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor reported the matter to the management after receiving the letter. Upon receipt of a corruption complaint referred by the DoJ, the ICAC launched an investigation. Inquiries revealed that the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor was not involved in the prosecution of the deception case.
The DoJ and the Correctional Services Department have offered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The ICAC reminds members of the public that bribery is a serious offence, and offering bribes to public servants in exchange for assistance or favour is strictly prohibited. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000.