A former chairman of an owners' incorporation was today (Friday) jailed for eight months at Eastern Court for soliciting a $9,000 printing order from a property management staff as a reward for awarding the latter a management contract.

Ching Kai-chiu, 52, former chairman of the Incorporated Owners of Workingberg Commercial Building (IO/WCB) and owner of Artfield Advertising Limited, which is a printing company, was earlier found guilty of one count of soliciting an advantage.

Paul Lam Chung-for, 38, property manager of A.G. Wilkinson & Associates Property Management Limited (AGW), who earlier pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to Ching, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

The court heard that on January 6, 1999, IO/WCB openly invited tenders for the management contract of WCB.

Ching invited AGW to submit a tender for the management contract and assisted Lam to prepare the tender.

Ching indicated to Lam that being the chairman of IO/WCB, he could influence the IO's decision in awarding the management contract and solicited printing orders from Lam in return.

On January 20, 1999, Lam offered Ching a printing order for "lai-see" packets and Chinese New Year posters at $9,000 for Ching's assistance in preparing the AGW's tender for WCB's management contract. Ching accepted the order.

During a series of IO meetings between January 21 and 27, 1999, Ching strongly recommended that AGW be awarded the management contract though eventually the management contract was awarded to another company.

Lam subsequently cancelled the printing order.

The prosecution was today represented by Philip Tam on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Mui.