Airport Raiway contractor returns to HK to face ICAC charges
2000-7-22
The piling work contractor of the Airport Railway Hong Kong Station project, earlier arrested by the Federal Bureau Investigator (FBI) in the United States on ICAC's behalf, has agreed to waive extradition proceedings and return to Hong Kong to face prosecution in relation to the substandard piling bribery case.
Hui Wai-chung, 38, proprietor of On Foundation Engineering Company (On Foundation), was arrested by the FBI at his New York residence in May this year.
Hui, accompanied by two ICAC officers, will board a flight for Hong Kong tonight.
On Foundation was a piling contractor of the Airport Railway Hong Kong Station Northern Site (Northern Site) project. The contract value for the bored pile works amounted to over $100 million.
Hui had allegedly instructed a number of persons to construct substandard bored piles at the Northern Site and offered bribes to an engineer to facilitate the scam.
Hui left Hong Kong before the ICAC investigation commenced. A warrant for Hui's arrest was issued by the court in Hong Kong in August 1999. The Department of Justice later sent a letter of request, on behalf of the ICAC, to the FBI for the arrest of Hui in US.
Hui will face one charge of conspiracy to defraud and one of bribery offence upon his return to Hong Kong.
The charges alleged Hui of conspiring with shareholder of Pak Kee Transportation Company Limited Shek Kwok-wing, On Foundation superintendent Ng Chun-hing, engineer Kwok Chi-hung, foreman Leung Yee-tai and So Bor-shun, project manager of B+B Construction Company Limited Tam Tung-kee, engineer Wong Ka-wing and Cheng Siu-ming and others to defraud the developer and contractors of Northern Site over the foundation works of Northern Site between May and November 1997.
The contractors were Central Waterfront Property Development Limited, Aoki Corporation and Bachy Soletanche Group Limited.
It was later revealed that of the 87 bored piles constructed by On Foundation, 83 were one meter to 15 meters shorter than the prescribed length. Substantial reconstruction of the foundation, which ran into millions of dollars, had to be carried out subs equently.
Hui was also accused of offering $50,000 in bribes to Wong Ka-wing in November 1997.
Apart from Hui, 12 other people, including an industrial diver, a surveyor, three engineers, one project manager, two foremen, a superintendent, a transportation company shareholder and two other subcontractors had been prosecuted in the piling scam, and all were convicted. They received prison terms ranging from one year to three years and eight months.
Hui Wai-chung, 38, proprietor of On Foundation Engineering Company (On Foundation), was arrested by the FBI at his New York residence in May this year.
Hui, accompanied by two ICAC officers, will board a flight for Hong Kong tonight.
On Foundation was a piling contractor of the Airport Railway Hong Kong Station Northern Site (Northern Site) project. The contract value for the bored pile works amounted to over $100 million.
Hui had allegedly instructed a number of persons to construct substandard bored piles at the Northern Site and offered bribes to an engineer to facilitate the scam.
Hui left Hong Kong before the ICAC investigation commenced. A warrant for Hui's arrest was issued by the court in Hong Kong in August 1999. The Department of Justice later sent a letter of request, on behalf of the ICAC, to the FBI for the arrest of Hui in US.
Hui will face one charge of conspiracy to defraud and one of bribery offence upon his return to Hong Kong.
The charges alleged Hui of conspiring with shareholder of Pak Kee Transportation Company Limited Shek Kwok-wing, On Foundation superintendent Ng Chun-hing, engineer Kwok Chi-hung, foreman Leung Yee-tai and So Bor-shun, project manager of B+B Construction Company Limited Tam Tung-kee, engineer Wong Ka-wing and Cheng Siu-ming and others to defraud the developer and contractors of Northern Site over the foundation works of Northern Site between May and November 1997.
The contractors were Central Waterfront Property Development Limited, Aoki Corporation and Bachy Soletanche Group Limited.
It was later revealed that of the 87 bored piles constructed by On Foundation, 83 were one meter to 15 meters shorter than the prescribed length. Substantial reconstruction of the foundation, which ran into millions of dollars, had to be carried out subs equently.
Hui was also accused of offering $50,000 in bribes to Wong Ka-wing in November 1997.
Apart from Hui, 12 other people, including an industrial diver, a surveyor, three engineers, one project manager, two foremen, a superintendent, a transportation company shareholder and two other subcontractors had been prosecuted in the piling scam, and all were convicted. They received prison terms ranging from one year to three years and eight months.