Four charged over alleged bribery scam to leak telecom subscribers' data
2001-10-18
Four persons, earlier arrested by the ICAC for an alleged corruption scam involving the leakage of subscribers' personal data from telecommunications service providers to debt collectors, were today (Thursday) charged by the ICAC.
The defendants are: Mak Ting-wai, 59, businessman, Chu Chi-woo, 46, telecommunication contractor, Lee Kwok-hing Desmond, 38, technical officer of Pacific Century CyberWorks Hong Kong Telecom (PCCW), and Yan Kwok-kiu, 53, senior technician of Hutchison Glo bal Crossing Limited (Hutchison).
The defendants, currently on ICAC bail, will appear at Kowloon City Court at 9:30 am tomorrow (Friday) .
The ICAC earlier launched an investigation into complaints alleging that debt collectors had obtained corrupt assistance from staff of telecommunication companies to acquire subscribers’ particulars to facilitate their debt collecting business.
Eighteen persons, including the four defendants, were arrested in Operation " Snow Prints" in March this year.
The defendants face a total of six charges. Two of the charges alleged Mak of having conspired with Chu to offer bribes to employees of Hutchison and PCCW between May 12, 2000 and March 1, 2001 for obtaining restricted information concerning telephone su bscribers' particulars.
It was alleged that a reward of $100 to $200 was offered for each acquisition of telephone subscribers' particulars.
Chu and Lee were jointly charged with three counts of obtaining access to a computer, namely PCCW's Dragon System, for dishonest gains by acquiring restricted information concerning subscribers' particulars on March 1, 2001.
Chu and Yan jointly face one similar charge of accessing a computer of Hutchison, also for obtaining restricted information concerning another subscriber's particulars.
The defendants are: Mak Ting-wai, 59, businessman, Chu Chi-woo, 46, telecommunication contractor, Lee Kwok-hing Desmond, 38, technical officer of Pacific Century CyberWorks Hong Kong Telecom (PCCW), and Yan Kwok-kiu, 53, senior technician of Hutchison Glo bal Crossing Limited (Hutchison).
The defendants, currently on ICAC bail, will appear at Kowloon City Court at 9:30 am tomorrow (Friday) .
The ICAC earlier launched an investigation into complaints alleging that debt collectors had obtained corrupt assistance from staff of telecommunication companies to acquire subscribers’ particulars to facilitate their debt collecting business.
Eighteen persons, including the four defendants, were arrested in Operation " Snow Prints" in March this year.
The defendants face a total of six charges. Two of the charges alleged Mak of having conspired with Chu to offer bribes to employees of Hutchison and PCCW between May 12, 2000 and March 1, 2001 for obtaining restricted information concerning telephone su bscribers' particulars.
It was alleged that a reward of $100 to $200 was offered for each acquisition of telephone subscribers' particulars.
Chu and Lee were jointly charged with three counts of obtaining access to a computer, namely PCCW's Dragon System, for dishonest gains by acquiring restricted information concerning subscribers' particulars on March 1, 2001.
Chu and Yan jointly face one similar charge of accessing a computer of Hutchison, also for obtaining restricted information concerning another subscriber's particulars.