Senior Police Superintendent and company director admit conspiracy over work visa
2001-8-18
A Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and a director of an equipment supplier admitted at District Court today (Saturday) that they had conspired to provide false information to the Immigration Department in order to obtain an employment visa for a Mong olian woman.
Brian John HEARD, 56, SSP attached to the Police Forensic Firearms Examination Bureau, and Peter John COOMBER, 48, director of OED Limited, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy offence.
Deputy Judge Peter White adjourned the case for mitigation on Tuesday (August 21).
HEARD was granted bail of $100,000 in cash and $100,000 in cash surety, while COOMBER was granted cash bail of $20,000. They were ordered not to leave Hong Kong, and to report to the nearby police station daily.
OED Limited, which is a local company, supplies equipment for firearms examination to the Hong Kong Police Force and provides maintenance services of technical equipment.
The court heard that between October 5, 1998 and May 10, 1999, HEARD and COOMBER had conspired together to furnish false representation to an immigration officer.
The false representation suggested that Gonchigsuren ODSUREN, a Mongolian woman, was to become employed as a technical author and interpreter for a special consultancy project between OED Limited and the Hong Kong Police Force, and that ODSUREN was requir ed for her translation skills of scientific texts from Russian or Mongolian into English.
In fact, there was no such special consultancy project for which translation was required, and ODSUREN never did translation work for the Hong Kong Police Force.
The offence was uncovered in an ICAC investigation into allegations that the SSP had corruptly assisted OED Limited and another US company to obtain contracts to respectively supply hi-tech equipment and bullet resistant vests to the Police.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos, assisted by ICAC officer Roger Lam.
Brian John HEARD, 56, SSP attached to the Police Forensic Firearms Examination Bureau, and Peter John COOMBER, 48, director of OED Limited, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy offence.
Deputy Judge Peter White adjourned the case for mitigation on Tuesday (August 21).
HEARD was granted bail of $100,000 in cash and $100,000 in cash surety, while COOMBER was granted cash bail of $20,000. They were ordered not to leave Hong Kong, and to report to the nearby police station daily.
OED Limited, which is a local company, supplies equipment for firearms examination to the Hong Kong Police Force and provides maintenance services of technical equipment.
The court heard that between October 5, 1998 and May 10, 1999, HEARD and COOMBER had conspired together to furnish false representation to an immigration officer.
The false representation suggested that Gonchigsuren ODSUREN, a Mongolian woman, was to become employed as a technical author and interpreter for a special consultancy project between OED Limited and the Hong Kong Police Force, and that ODSUREN was requir ed for her translation skills of scientific texts from Russian or Mongolian into English.
In fact, there was no such special consultancy project for which translation was required, and ODSUREN never did translation work for the Hong Kong Police Force.
The offence was uncovered in an ICAC investigation into allegations that the SSP had corruptly assisted OED Limited and another US company to obtain contracts to respectively supply hi-tech equipment and bullet resistant vests to the Police.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos, assisted by ICAC officer Roger Lam.