Police Sergeant arrested for allegedly accepting $100,000 'protection fees' from restaurants
2001-6-15
The ICAC has arrested a Police Sergeant on suspicion of accepting "protection fees" totalling about $100,000 from two associated restaurants between 1996 and last year.
The Police Sergeant, currently attached to the district anti-triad squad of the Shum Shui Po Police Station, was arrested in an operation codenamed " Violet " onWednesday.
Also arrested in the operation were two directors and a manager of the two restaurants, who allegedly offered the bribes to the Sergeant.
The investigation originated from a complaint alleging that a Police Sergeant had accepted monetary advantages to offer protection to restaurants.
ICAC enquiries revealed that since mid 1996, the arrested Sergeant, who was then stationed at the Crime Headquarters of Kowloon West Region, allegedly collected a monthly payment of $5,000 in cash from one of the restaurants in Hung Hom.
The bribes were said to be rewards for the Sergeant to protect the restaurant from interference from gangsters or triad extortion.
Since early 1997, the alleged bribe payment had been reduced from $5,000 to $3,000 per month due to the poor business of the restaurant. The amount was further trimmed to $2,000 in early 1999 and was paid monthly to the Sergeant until October last year.
Meanwhile, enquiries also revealed that the Sergeant had allegedly received $2,000 per month on several occasions between 1997 and 1998 for protecting an associated restaurant in Tsuen Wan.
The arrestees have been released on ICAC bail.
Enquiries are continuing.
The Police Sergeant, currently attached to the district anti-triad squad of the Shum Shui Po Police Station, was arrested in an operation codenamed " Violet " onWednesday.
Also arrested in the operation were two directors and a manager of the two restaurants, who allegedly offered the bribes to the Sergeant.
The investigation originated from a complaint alleging that a Police Sergeant had accepted monetary advantages to offer protection to restaurants.
ICAC enquiries revealed that since mid 1996, the arrested Sergeant, who was then stationed at the Crime Headquarters of Kowloon West Region, allegedly collected a monthly payment of $5,000 in cash from one of the restaurants in Hung Hom.
The bribes were said to be rewards for the Sergeant to protect the restaurant from interference from gangsters or triad extortion.
Since early 1997, the alleged bribe payment had been reduced from $5,000 to $3,000 per month due to the poor business of the restaurant. The amount was further trimmed to $2,000 in early 1999 and was paid monthly to the Sergeant until October last year.
Meanwhile, enquiries also revealed that the Sergeant had allegedly received $2,000 per month on several occasions between 1997 and 1998 for protecting an associated restaurant in Tsuen Wan.
The arrestees have been released on ICAC bail.
Enquiries are continuing.