Two company directors charged with alleged bribery and fraud over purchase of toys for BBCW
2002-2-27
Two company directors, who were toy sourcing agents of BBC Worldwide Limited (BBCW), were today (Wednesday) charged by the ICAC for an alleged bribery scam over the placing of purchase orders for toys with suppliers.
Daniel Jonathan BERMAN, 31, director of Eurasia Management Services Limited (EMS), and Sydney EDELS, 59, director of EMS Asia Limited (EMS Asia), will appear in Eastern Court at 9:30 am this Friday (March 1) on a total of eight charges.
EMS was a toy sourcing agent of BBCW, a subsidiary company wholly owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation. EMS Asia is a company formed by EMS in Hong Kong.
One of the charges alleges that BERMAN and EDELS had conspired with other persons to defraud BBCW by dishonestly:
- causing and permitting G.C. & CO. to falsely inflate the prices of goods sold to BBCW on the relevant invoices
presented to BBCW for payments;
- falsely representing to BBCW that the falsely inflated prices stated on the invoices of G.C. & CO. were true prices;
- causing BBCW to accept that the falsely inflated prices on the G.C. & CO. invoices as the true prices;
- causing BBCW to pay to G.C. & CO. sums as stated on the falsely inflated invoices; and
- causing G.C. & CO. to pay the differences between the true prices and the falsely inflated prices to either of two
companies, namely Tristar Holding Group Limited and Anker Limited, both of which were under the control of
BERMAN.
G.C. & CO. is a supplier of toys.
BERMAN and EDELS are also jointly charged with conspiring together to accept advantages from G.C. & CO. for placing purchase orders of goods with G.C. & CO. on behalf of BBCW.
BERMAN alone faces one count of fraud, which alleges that he had falsely represented to officers of Sun Shine Toys Limited (Sun Shine), another supplier of toys, that EMS Asia had approval from BBCW to arrange for Sun Shine to inflate the prices of goods sold to BBCW and accept from Sun Shine the differences between the true prices and the inflated prices as the operation fees of EMS Asia.
The charge also alleges that BERMAN, with intent to defraud, had induced officers of Sun Shine to inflate the prices of goods and pay the differences to Skyline Limited, a company under his control.
BERMAN further faces five counts of accepting US$49,306.20 (about HK$384,588) in total from Sun Shine for placing purchase orders of goods with Sun Shine on behalf of BBCW.
The alleged offences took place between August 1999 and September 2001.
BERMAN and EDELS have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearances on Friday.
Daniel Jonathan BERMAN, 31, director of Eurasia Management Services Limited (EMS), and Sydney EDELS, 59, director of EMS Asia Limited (EMS Asia), will appear in Eastern Court at 9:30 am this Friday (March 1) on a total of eight charges.
EMS was a toy sourcing agent of BBCW, a subsidiary company wholly owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation. EMS Asia is a company formed by EMS in Hong Kong.
One of the charges alleges that BERMAN and EDELS had conspired with other persons to defraud BBCW by dishonestly:
- causing and permitting G.C. & CO. to falsely inflate the prices of goods sold to BBCW on the relevant invoices
presented to BBCW for payments;
- falsely representing to BBCW that the falsely inflated prices stated on the invoices of G.C. & CO. were true prices;
- causing BBCW to accept that the falsely inflated prices on the G.C. & CO. invoices as the true prices;
- causing BBCW to pay to G.C. & CO. sums as stated on the falsely inflated invoices; and
- causing G.C. & CO. to pay the differences between the true prices and the falsely inflated prices to either of two
companies, namely Tristar Holding Group Limited and Anker Limited, both of which were under the control of
BERMAN.
G.C. & CO. is a supplier of toys.
BERMAN and EDELS are also jointly charged with conspiring together to accept advantages from G.C. & CO. for placing purchase orders of goods with G.C. & CO. on behalf of BBCW.
BERMAN alone faces one count of fraud, which alleges that he had falsely represented to officers of Sun Shine Toys Limited (Sun Shine), another supplier of toys, that EMS Asia had approval from BBCW to arrange for Sun Shine to inflate the prices of goods sold to BBCW and accept from Sun Shine the differences between the true prices and the inflated prices as the operation fees of EMS Asia.
The charge also alleges that BERMAN, with intent to defraud, had induced officers of Sun Shine to inflate the prices of goods and pay the differences to Skyline Limited, a company under his control.
BERMAN further faces five counts of accepting US$49,306.20 (about HK$384,588) in total from Sun Shine for placing purchase orders of goods with Sun Shine on behalf of BBCW.
The alleged offences took place between August 1999 and September 2001.
BERMAN and EDELS have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearances on Friday.