Two months' jail for accountant caught red-handed collecting bribes
2001-10-22
A man employed by an accounting firm as an accountant, who was caught red-handed accepting bribes from shop tenants, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment at Eastern Court today (Monday).
David Sak Ka-ming, 43, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte), pleaded guilty on October 6 to five corruption offences.
He then applied for a reversal of plea after the court ordered to remand him in jail custody. But his application was rejected by Magistrate Mr Henry Mierczak.
The magistrate, in delivering the sentence today, said an immediate custodial penalty was imposed to reflect the seriousness of the bribery offences.
The defence counsel had told the court that Sak did not realise the seriousness of committing corruption offences in Hong Kong since he had been in Canada for a long time.
The magistrate however said that this had not been considered as a mitigation factor.
The court heard that Sak, employed by Deloitte as an accountant, was responsible for renewing the leases of the shop premises at the New Trend Plaza, North Point.
On October 3 this year, Sak approached Yip Ching, Cheung Yuk-wah and Tsang Wai-ying, tenants of the shopping mall, for negotiations of their renewal of leases.
The defendant solicited $5,900 in total from the three tenants for assisting them in negotiating favourable terms in the renewal of leases for their shop premises at the mall.
An ambush operation was mounted by the ICAC after a corruption complaint was received on that day. Sak was caught red handed after collecting $3,600 in bribes from two tenants.
Deloitte does not allow its employees to solicit or accept any personal advantages in relation to its affairs or business.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Frederick Chung, assisted by ICAC officer Blanche Yiu.
David Sak Ka-ming, 43, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte), pleaded guilty on October 6 to five corruption offences.
He then applied for a reversal of plea after the court ordered to remand him in jail custody. But his application was rejected by Magistrate Mr Henry Mierczak.
The magistrate, in delivering the sentence today, said an immediate custodial penalty was imposed to reflect the seriousness of the bribery offences.
The defence counsel had told the court that Sak did not realise the seriousness of committing corruption offences in Hong Kong since he had been in Canada for a long time.
The magistrate however said that this had not been considered as a mitigation factor.
The court heard that Sak, employed by Deloitte as an accountant, was responsible for renewing the leases of the shop premises at the New Trend Plaza, North Point.
On October 3 this year, Sak approached Yip Ching, Cheung Yuk-wah and Tsang Wai-ying, tenants of the shopping mall, for negotiations of their renewal of leases.
The defendant solicited $5,900 in total from the three tenants for assisting them in negotiating favourable terms in the renewal of leases for their shop premises at the mall.
An ambush operation was mounted by the ICAC after a corruption complaint was received on that day. Sak was caught red handed after collecting $3,600 in bribes from two tenants.
Deloitte does not allow its employees to solicit or accept any personal advantages in relation to its affairs or business.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Frederick Chung, assisted by ICAC officer Blanche Yiu.