Four admit forged bus pass bribery scam
2001-10-12
Four members of a syndicate, charged by the ICAC, admitted at District Court today (Friday) that they had conspired to forge dependent travel passes of New World First Bus Services Limited (First Bus), from which they made illegal profits.
The court heard that the syndicate had offered a $1,000 bribe to a First Bus driver for obtaining a genuine pass to facilitate the forgery.
Syndicate head Lau Tat-fai, 39, and his associates Wong Sum-chung, 37, Chan Tai-wai, 31 and Leong Chui-yee, 29, pleaded guilty to a total of 16 charges, including offering an advantage to a public servant, conspiracy to defraud and forgery offences.
Judge Wesley Wong adjourned sentencing, pending the trial of eight others involved in the same case scheduled for December this year.
The defendants were granted cash bail between $5,000 and $10,000, while Lau was ordered not to leave Hong Kong.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that some employees of First Bus were corruptly involved in the issuing of bus passes.
The defendants were amongst 30 persons arrested in an operation earlier this year.
During the operation, a total of 56 forged First Bus passes were seized –'96 32 of them were for the year of 2000 while the remaining were for 2001.
The court heard that Lau and Wong had conspired to make false Staff Travel Passes and / or Dependent Travel Passes of First Bus, with assistance from their associates in the Mainland.
To facilitate the forgery activities, Wong obtained a genuine pass as a sample from First Bus driver Wong Tak-ming for a bribe of $1,000.
Lau, Wong and Leong were found to be in possession of 50 forged passes.
The court was also told that the syndicate had sold the forged one-year passes for $800 to $1,800 each, depending on the time of the year when the clients bought these passes.
Such passes purportedly showed that their holders were the bus company’s staff or their relatives entitled to free rides.
Meanwhile, First Bus driver Wong Tak-ming and another syndicate member Wong Wing-shing earlier pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy and a fraud charge respectively, and will face trial next month.
Sixteen persons using forged passes had earlier pleaded guilty, and were given suspended jail terms.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Winnie Ho, assisted by ICAC officer Tang Chi-kong.
The court heard that the syndicate had offered a $1,000 bribe to a First Bus driver for obtaining a genuine pass to facilitate the forgery.
Syndicate head Lau Tat-fai, 39, and his associates Wong Sum-chung, 37, Chan Tai-wai, 31 and Leong Chui-yee, 29, pleaded guilty to a total of 16 charges, including offering an advantage to a public servant, conspiracy to defraud and forgery offences.
Judge Wesley Wong adjourned sentencing, pending the trial of eight others involved in the same case scheduled for December this year.
The defendants were granted cash bail between $5,000 and $10,000, while Lau was ordered not to leave Hong Kong.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that some employees of First Bus were corruptly involved in the issuing of bus passes.
The defendants were amongst 30 persons arrested in an operation earlier this year.
During the operation, a total of 56 forged First Bus passes were seized –'96 32 of them were for the year of 2000 while the remaining were for 2001.
The court heard that Lau and Wong had conspired to make false Staff Travel Passes and / or Dependent Travel Passes of First Bus, with assistance from their associates in the Mainland.
To facilitate the forgery activities, Wong obtained a genuine pass as a sample from First Bus driver Wong Tak-ming for a bribe of $1,000.
Lau, Wong and Leong were found to be in possession of 50 forged passes.
The court was also told that the syndicate had sold the forged one-year passes for $800 to $1,800 each, depending on the time of the year when the clients bought these passes.
Such passes purportedly showed that their holders were the bus company’s staff or their relatives entitled to free rides.
Meanwhile, First Bus driver Wong Tak-ming and another syndicate member Wong Wing-shing earlier pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy and a fraud charge respectively, and will face trial next month.
Sixteen persons using forged passes had earlier pleaded guilty, and were given suspended jail terms.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Winnie Ho, assisted by ICAC officer Tang Chi-kong.