A fruit stall operator, charged by the ICAC for arranging a substitute to face prosecution by the then Urban Services Department (USD) and admit obstruction offences, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment at Eastern Court today (Tuesday).

Liu King-chuk, 57, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with Leung Lan to prevent prosecution for offences of causing obstruction in public places, by falsely representing that Leung Lan was responsible for the offences.

The offence took place between November 1997 and February last year.

In April last year, a magistrate of the Eastern Court rejected the guilty pleas of three defendants charged with hawking offences, suspecting that they were not the real offenders.

The magistrate ordered the Department of Justice to refer these cases to the ICAC for investigation as he suspected that they might involve the collaboration and connivance of USD officers.

ICAC inquiries revealed that a number of stall operators, including Liu, had allegedly arranged "scapegoats" to face USD prosecution without the officers' intervention.

So far, 11 persons, including three Hawker Control Officers, five hawkers and three "scapegoats" were charged by the ICAC. Three hawkers, including Liu, and one "scapegoat" were convicted and given jail sentences.

The court heard that Liu, while operating her stall at the junction of Tang Lung Street and Canal Road East, Causeway Bay during the above period, was approached by Hawker Control Officers during anti-hawking raids on a number of occasions. Liu asked Leung Lan to substitute her for arrest.

The court also heard that the arresting Hawker Control Officers allegedly agreed to the arrangement.

Leung had pleaded guilty in court and was fined. The bail money and the fine involved were paid by Liu who also gave Leung some food as rewards.

The prosecution was today represented by Selwyn So on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Eric Ma.