Former site foreman and engineers face court for alleged construction fraud in government projects
2000-10-4
A former site foreman, charged by the ICAC with allegedly conspiring to manipulate the pre-drilling records at a construction site for the Yau Tong Redevelopment project, appeared at Kwun Tong Court today (Wednesday).
Mak King-fai, 25, formerly employed by Hui Hon Contractors Ltd. (Hui Hon), pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiring with Hui Hon former director Chan Kwong-yee and others to defraud the Housing Department (HD) in August 1998.
Magistrate Mr Garry Tallentire adjourned the case to December 7, 2000 for trial. The defendant was granted bail of $5,000 in cash.
Hui Hon was the subcontractor responsible for the pre-drilling work to survey the soil profile at the construction site for the Redevelopment of Yau Tong Estate Phase 2 contract no. 34 of 1998 (the site). The company had then ceased to operate since Janu ary this year.
The charge alleged Mak of having dishonestly caused false figures to be marked on the wooden tags attached to the core samples extracted at the site from the locations of proposed bored piles.
He had allegedly concealed the existence of soft material in and between the cores extracted from the said proposed bored piles.
The ICAC commenced investigation after receiving allegation that some HD staff had corruptly connived at the substandard piling at the site. The corruption allegation was found to be unsubstantiated.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Josephine Chiu.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, Mak and two other former engineers of Hui Hon have been charged by the ICAC in connection with alleged substandard piling works at a pumping station and a screening plant in Central.
Mak, Tom Yiu Yiu-nam, 43 and Li Wai-hang, 44, will appear at Western Court at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) on one charge of conspiracy to defraud.
The Central and Wan Chai East Pumping Stations and Screening Plants (the project) was a Drainage Services Department (DSD) project, of which Guangdong Water Conservancy & Hydro Power Engineering Development Company Limited (Guangdong Water) was the main contractor.
Hui Hon was appointed the piling sub-contractor, while Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (Maunsell) was responsible for the design and overseeing the construction work.
The defendants were amongst six persons arrested in an operation in November last year.
The charge alleged the defendants of having conspired with So Pang-ngan and others to defraud Maunsell, Guangdong Water and DSD between May 1997 and January 1998.
They were said to have falsely represented that a number of secant bored piles had been constructed in accordance with the secant bored pile layout plan and the site instruction of the project.
The ICAC earlier received information alleging that some supervisory staff at the project had allegedly exercised lax supervision over the construction of substandard piles and corruption was suspected.
According to the building plan, each bored pile to be built at the site should measure 40 metres in length. ICAC investigations revealed that seven of the 43 piles constructed by the subcontractor were 3.9 to 14.52 metres shorter than the required length s.
The ICAC inquiry into the corruption aspect in this case is continuing.
Mak King-fai, 25, formerly employed by Hui Hon Contractors Ltd. (Hui Hon), pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiring with Hui Hon former director Chan Kwong-yee and others to defraud the Housing Department (HD) in August 1998.
Magistrate Mr Garry Tallentire adjourned the case to December 7, 2000 for trial. The defendant was granted bail of $5,000 in cash.
Hui Hon was the subcontractor responsible for the pre-drilling work to survey the soil profile at the construction site for the Redevelopment of Yau Tong Estate Phase 2 contract no. 34 of 1998 (the site). The company had then ceased to operate since Janu ary this year.
The charge alleged Mak of having dishonestly caused false figures to be marked on the wooden tags attached to the core samples extracted at the site from the locations of proposed bored piles.
He had allegedly concealed the existence of soft material in and between the cores extracted from the said proposed bored piles.
The ICAC commenced investigation after receiving allegation that some HD staff had corruptly connived at the substandard piling at the site. The corruption allegation was found to be unsubstantiated.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Josephine Chiu.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, Mak and two other former engineers of Hui Hon have been charged by the ICAC in connection with alleged substandard piling works at a pumping station and a screening plant in Central.
Mak, Tom Yiu Yiu-nam, 43 and Li Wai-hang, 44, will appear at Western Court at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) on one charge of conspiracy to defraud.
The Central and Wan Chai East Pumping Stations and Screening Plants (the project) was a Drainage Services Department (DSD) project, of which Guangdong Water Conservancy & Hydro Power Engineering Development Company Limited (Guangdong Water) was the main contractor.
Hui Hon was appointed the piling sub-contractor, while Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (Maunsell) was responsible for the design and overseeing the construction work.
The defendants were amongst six persons arrested in an operation in November last year.
The charge alleged the defendants of having conspired with So Pang-ngan and others to defraud Maunsell, Guangdong Water and DSD between May 1997 and January 1998.
They were said to have falsely represented that a number of secant bored piles had been constructed in accordance with the secant bored pile layout plan and the site instruction of the project.
The ICAC earlier received information alleging that some supervisory staff at the project had allegedly exercised lax supervision over the construction of substandard piles and corruption was suspected.
According to the building plan, each bored pile to be built at the site should measure 40 metres in length. ICAC investigations revealed that seven of the 43 piles constructed by the subcontractor were 3.9 to 14.52 metres shorter than the required length s.
The ICAC inquiry into the corruption aspect in this case is continuing.