ICAC charges former BBCW director with alleged bribery and fraud
2002-3-15
A former director of BBC Worldwide Limited (BBCW) was today (Friday) charged by the ICAC for alleged bribery and fraud over the placing of purchase orders for toys following the commencement of criminal proceedings against two company directors of a sourc ing agent of BBCW late last month.
Jeffrey Everard TAYLOR, 41, currently on ICAC bail, will appear in Eastern Magistracy at 9:30 am next Monday (March 18) to face three charges.
BBCW is a subsidiary company wholly owned by British Broadcasting Corporation.
One of the charges alleges that TAYLOR had conspired with Daniel Jonathan BERMAN, Sydney EDELS and others to defraud BBCW by dishonestly:
- causing and permitting toy suppliers of BBCW to falsely inflate the prices of goods sold to BBCW on the relevant invoices presented to BBCW for payment;
- falsely representing to BBCW that the falsely inflated prices stated in such invoices were true prices;
- causing BBCW to accept the falsely inflated prices on the invoices as the true prices;
- causing BBCW to pay to the toy suppliers sums as stated in the falsely inflated invoices; and
- causing the toy suppliers to pay the differences between the true prices and the falsely inflated prices to either of three companies under BERMAN’s control, namely Tristar Holdings Group Limited, Anker Limited and Skyline Corporation Limited.
TAYLOR is also charged with one count of being an agent of BBCW, having conspired with BERMAN and EDELS to offer advantages to TAYLOR for causing or permitting the placing of purchasing orders of goods for and on behalf of BBCW with G.C. & CO., Ming Tat I ndustrial Co. and Sun Shine Toys Limited by BERMAN.
The remaining charge alleges TAYLOR of having conspired with BERMAN and EDELS to deal with US$379,652.98 and HK$3,058,439.77, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the money, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, represented the proc eeds of an indictable offence.
The alleged offences took place between August 1999 and September 2001.
BERMAN, 31, director of EMS Asia Limited (EMS Asia), and EDELS, 59, director of Eurasia Management Services Limited (EMS), were earlier charged with a total of eight bribery and fraud offences.
EMS was a toy sourcing agent of BBCW, while EMS Asia is a company formed by EMS in Hong Kong.
The case of BERMAN and EDELS has been adjourned until March 26, 2002 for mention at Eastern Magistracy.
Jeffrey Everard TAYLOR, 41, currently on ICAC bail, will appear in Eastern Magistracy at 9:30 am next Monday (March 18) to face three charges.
BBCW is a subsidiary company wholly owned by British Broadcasting Corporation.
One of the charges alleges that TAYLOR had conspired with Daniel Jonathan BERMAN, Sydney EDELS and others to defraud BBCW by dishonestly:
- causing and permitting toy suppliers of BBCW to falsely inflate the prices of goods sold to BBCW on the relevant invoices presented to BBCW for payment;
- falsely representing to BBCW that the falsely inflated prices stated in such invoices were true prices;
- causing BBCW to accept the falsely inflated prices on the invoices as the true prices;
- causing BBCW to pay to the toy suppliers sums as stated in the falsely inflated invoices; and
- causing the toy suppliers to pay the differences between the true prices and the falsely inflated prices to either of three companies under BERMAN’s control, namely Tristar Holdings Group Limited, Anker Limited and Skyline Corporation Limited.
TAYLOR is also charged with one count of being an agent of BBCW, having conspired with BERMAN and EDELS to offer advantages to TAYLOR for causing or permitting the placing of purchasing orders of goods for and on behalf of BBCW with G.C. & CO., Ming Tat I ndustrial Co. and Sun Shine Toys Limited by BERMAN.
The remaining charge alleges TAYLOR of having conspired with BERMAN and EDELS to deal with US$379,652.98 and HK$3,058,439.77, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the money, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, represented the proc eeds of an indictable offence.
The alleged offences took place between August 1999 and September 2001.
BERMAN, 31, director of EMS Asia Limited (EMS Asia), and EDELS, 59, director of Eurasia Management Services Limited (EMS), were earlier charged with a total of eight bribery and fraud offences.
EMS was a toy sourcing agent of BBCW, while EMS Asia is a company formed by EMS in Hong Kong.
The case of BERMAN and EDELS has been adjourned until March 26, 2002 for mention at Eastern Magistracy.