A sub-contractor was jailed for four months at Eastern Court today (Monday) for offering $300,000 in bribes to ensure that he could continue to be awarded contracts for cleansing work at construction sites.

Wong Yee-kau, 71, earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

Magistrate Mr Symon Wong said he was imposing a custodial sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offences and the amount of bribes involved.

The judge also said in sentencing, he had taken into consideration the defendant's guilty plea and old age.

The court heard that Wong Yee-kau was a sub-contractor of Pollution & Protection Services Limited (P&P), which obtained contracts from Hip Hing Construction Company Limited for cleansing of construction sites upon completion of development.

Between May and August 1998, Wong Yee-kau was awarded five contracts worth $7,223,700 by P&P for providing cleansing services at a number of construction sites on Hong Kong Island and in the New Territories.

Wong Lai-ho, an assistant manager of P&P then, was tasked to supervise and evaluate the progress and quality of the cleansing work and to authorise payments due to Wong Yee-kau.

In July 1998, Wong Lai-ho solicited regular bribe payments from Wong Yee-kau. The former suggested that whenever the sub-contractor received payments from P&P, a certain portion should be earmarked as kickbacks.

Subsequently, Wong Yee-kau had paid a total of $300,000 to Wong Lai-ho between July 17 and October 8, 1998 as rewards for maintaining on-going contracts from P&P.

Wong Lai-ho was not authorised by the company to receive such payments.

The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Liu Yuen-ming, assisted by ICAC officer Fiona Man.