Temple trust fund secretary jailed for taking $950,000 bribes
2002-5-31
A senior staff of the temples section under the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) was today (Friday) sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment at District Court for accepting $950,000 in bribes over maintenance works at temples and cemeteries.
William Tam Nai-yim, 59, Executive Secretary of the Trust Funds, Temples and Cemeteries Section (TFTC) under HAB, was ordered to return the $950,000 to his employer. Of the total amount of the bribe money, $600,000 was seized at Tam's office by the ICAC.
Judge Day described the corruption case as a serious one involving a big sum of bribe money, with offences spanning over 20 months.
The judge also said the defendant had committed the offences out of greed and failure to resist the temptation of corruption.
The judge reprimanded the defendant for betraying the trust placed in him by the community, the employer - a number of trust funds, and the contributors to these charity funds.
The judge added that the starting point of four years' imprisonment was reduced to 28 months, taking into account his remorsefulness, guilty plea, and assistance to the ICAC.
Tam today pleaded guilty to one count of accepting an advantage as an agent or employee of eight charitable bodies, contrary to Section 9(1) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. The TFTC mainly provides administrative support to these bodies.
The eight charitable bodies are the Chinese Temples Committee (CTC), the Board of Management of the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries (BMCPC), the Brewin Trust Fund Committee, the Grantham Scholarships Fund Committee, Li Po Chun Charitable Trust Fund Committee , Sir Robert Black Trust Fund Committee, the Board of Trustees of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, and Lord Wilson United World Colleges Scholarship Fund Council.
The court heard that Tam was arrested by the ICAC for suspected bribery offences on May 13, 2002.
When interviewed under caution, Tam admitted that in July or August 2000, David Wu Wing-kai and Alan Lau Tung-chee met him inside a room of a hotel in North Point, where they discussed a plan to set up a factory in the Mainland to supply CTC contractors w ith timber. Tam agreed to the plan.
Wu was a member of CTC, while Lau was a director of Wai Shing Construction Company Limited (Wah Shing), a contractor for maintenance works of both CTC and BMCPC.
Before leaving the hotel room, Wu took out from his pocket an envelope containing $100,000 cash, and handed it to Tam. Wu had also offered to Tam cash totalling about $850,000 at his office on different occasions.
After depositing part of the money into his bank account, Tam kept the remaining $600,000 in his office.
Tam stated that he believed the bribe money was offered to him by Wu and Lau for not disclosing to CTC that Wu had a financial interest in the supplier of materials for use in CTC projects, and for showing favour to Wai Shing by not adopting too harsh an attitude towards the company in the work it performed.
Tam was among 17 persons arrested by the ICAC in connection with the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Winnie Ho, assisted by ICAC officer Clement Cheng.
Meanwhile, a staff of the Highways Department and a former site foreman were respectively convicted of accepting and offering an advantage at Tuen Mun Magistracy today.
They were Lau Chi-hang, 33, Works Supervisor I of the Highways Department, and Kwan Tin-ming, 48, former site foreman of Cheer Smart Engineering Limited.
Lau was found guilty of accepting from Kwan an advantage, namely a coupon covering a ferry return ticket to and nightclub expenses in Macao, while Kwan was convicted of offering the advantage to Lau while having dealings with the Government through the Hi ghways Department.
Magistrate John Murray adjourned the case until June 13, 2002 for sentence, pending background and community service order reports.
The prosecution was today represented by Government Counsel Marco Li, assisted by ICAC officer Cheung Sai-sing.
William Tam Nai-yim, 59, Executive Secretary of the Trust Funds, Temples and Cemeteries Section (TFTC) under HAB, was ordered to return the $950,000 to his employer. Of the total amount of the bribe money, $600,000 was seized at Tam's office by the ICAC.
Judge Day described the corruption case as a serious one involving a big sum of bribe money, with offences spanning over 20 months.
The judge also said the defendant had committed the offences out of greed and failure to resist the temptation of corruption.
The judge reprimanded the defendant for betraying the trust placed in him by the community, the employer - a number of trust funds, and the contributors to these charity funds.
The judge added that the starting point of four years' imprisonment was reduced to 28 months, taking into account his remorsefulness, guilty plea, and assistance to the ICAC.
Tam today pleaded guilty to one count of accepting an advantage as an agent or employee of eight charitable bodies, contrary to Section 9(1) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. The TFTC mainly provides administrative support to these bodies.
The eight charitable bodies are the Chinese Temples Committee (CTC), the Board of Management of the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries (BMCPC), the Brewin Trust Fund Committee, the Grantham Scholarships Fund Committee, Li Po Chun Charitable Trust Fund Committee , Sir Robert Black Trust Fund Committee, the Board of Trustees of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, and Lord Wilson United World Colleges Scholarship Fund Council.
The court heard that Tam was arrested by the ICAC for suspected bribery offences on May 13, 2002.
When interviewed under caution, Tam admitted that in July or August 2000, David Wu Wing-kai and Alan Lau Tung-chee met him inside a room of a hotel in North Point, where they discussed a plan to set up a factory in the Mainland to supply CTC contractors w ith timber. Tam agreed to the plan.
Wu was a member of CTC, while Lau was a director of Wai Shing Construction Company Limited (Wah Shing), a contractor for maintenance works of both CTC and BMCPC.
Before leaving the hotel room, Wu took out from his pocket an envelope containing $100,000 cash, and handed it to Tam. Wu had also offered to Tam cash totalling about $850,000 at his office on different occasions.
After depositing part of the money into his bank account, Tam kept the remaining $600,000 in his office.
Tam stated that he believed the bribe money was offered to him by Wu and Lau for not disclosing to CTC that Wu had a financial interest in the supplier of materials for use in CTC projects, and for showing favour to Wai Shing by not adopting too harsh an attitude towards the company in the work it performed.
Tam was among 17 persons arrested by the ICAC in connection with the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Winnie Ho, assisted by ICAC officer Clement Cheng.
Meanwhile, a staff of the Highways Department and a former site foreman were respectively convicted of accepting and offering an advantage at Tuen Mun Magistracy today.
They were Lau Chi-hang, 33, Works Supervisor I of the Highways Department, and Kwan Tin-ming, 48, former site foreman of Cheer Smart Engineering Limited.
Lau was found guilty of accepting from Kwan an advantage, namely a coupon covering a ferry return ticket to and nightclub expenses in Macao, while Kwan was convicted of offering the advantage to Lau while having dealings with the Government through the Hi ghways Department.
Magistrate John Murray adjourned the case until June 13, 2002 for sentence, pending background and community service order reports.
The prosecution was today represented by Government Counsel Marco Li, assisted by ICAC officer Cheung Sai-sing.