Company director admits bribing Australian buyer for $16m garment orders
2000-8-9
A director of a local trading company admitted at Eastern Court today (Wednesday) that he had offered more than HK$430,000 in bribes to an overseas garment buyer for awarding purchase orders worth HK$16 million.
Chu Kai-yuen, 32, director of Hildas International (HK) Ltd. (Hilda), pleaded guilty to eight counts of offering HK$430,369 in total to Kristen Elaine Baunach of Venator Group Australia Limited (Venator), based in Australia, between October 1997 and Decem ber 1998.
The bribes were for Baunach to purchase goods from Hilda on behalf of Venator.
Baunach, currently employed by Toys “R” Us (Australia) Pty Ltd., faced one holding charge of accepting AUS$9,087 from Chu. No plea was taken from her today.
Magistrate Mr Ian Candy adjourned the case to August 30, 2000, and remanded Chu in ICAC custody. Baunach was granted bail of HK$200,000 in cash and HK$200,000 in cash surety, and was ordered to surrender her travel documents and not to leave Hong Kong.
The court heard that in July 1997, Baunach, while being employed by Venator as a buyer, approached Chu and allegedly offered him business provided that five percent of the purchase orders would be paid as “commission”.
Between October 1997 and December 1998, Chu had paid Baunach HK$430,369 in bribes and received purchase orders totalling HK$16 million from Venator.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Prakash Daryanani, assisted by ICAC officer Lawrence Hong.
Chu Kai-yuen, 32, director of Hildas International (HK) Ltd. (Hilda), pleaded guilty to eight counts of offering HK$430,369 in total to Kristen Elaine Baunach of Venator Group Australia Limited (Venator), based in Australia, between October 1997 and Decem ber 1998.
The bribes were for Baunach to purchase goods from Hilda on behalf of Venator.
Baunach, currently employed by Toys “R” Us (Australia) Pty Ltd., faced one holding charge of accepting AUS$9,087 from Chu. No plea was taken from her today.
Magistrate Mr Ian Candy adjourned the case to August 30, 2000, and remanded Chu in ICAC custody. Baunach was granted bail of HK$200,000 in cash and HK$200,000 in cash surety, and was ordered to surrender her travel documents and not to leave Hong Kong.
The court heard that in July 1997, Baunach, while being employed by Venator as a buyer, approached Chu and allegedly offered him business provided that five percent of the purchase orders would be paid as “commission”.
Between October 1997 and December 1998, Chu had paid Baunach HK$430,369 in bribes and received purchase orders totalling HK$16 million from Venator.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Prakash Daryanani, assisted by ICAC officer Lawrence Hong.