Company directors allegedly involved in bribery over BBCW toy orders have cases consolidated
2002-7-5
Three company directors, charged by the ICAC with alleged bribery and fraud over the purchase of toys for BBC Worldwide Limited (BBCW), had their cases consolidated at Eastern Court today (Friday).
Daniel Jonathan Berman, 31, director of Eurasia Management Services Limited (EMS), Sydney Edels, 59, director of EMS Asia Limited (EMS Asia), and Jeffrey Everard Taylor, 41, former director of BBCW, also had their original charges amended because of the c onsolidation.
BBCW is a subsidiary company wholly owned by British Broadcasting Corporation. EMS was a toy sourcing agent of BBCW, while EMS Asia is a company formed by EMS in Hong Kong.
Magistrate Mr Ian Candy adjourned the case until October 4, 2002, pending transfer to District Court.
The three defendants now face four joint charges. One of the charges alleged them of conspiring together and with other persons 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 that were presented to BBCW for payments;
- falsely representing to BBCW that the falsely inflated prices stated on the invoices of the toy suppliers were true prices;
- causing BBCW to accept that 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, namely Tristar Holdings Group Limited, Anker Limited and Skyline Corporation Limited, all of which were under Berman's control.
The trio further face one count of conspiring together to offer advantages to Taylor for causing or permitting the placing of purchasing orders of goods for and on behalf of BBCW with toy suppliers, namely G.C. & CO., Ming Tat Industrial Co. and Sun Shine Toys Limited, by Berman.
The three defendants were also jointly charged with one count of conspiring together and with other persons 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 in directly, represented the proceeds of an indictable offence.
Berman and Edels further face one count of conspiring to accept advantages from the three toy suppliers as rewards for Berman and Edels to place purchasing orders of goods for and on behalf of BBCW with them.
The alleged offences took place between August 1999 and September 2001.
Berman was granted cash bail of $200,000, while Edels and Taylor were each granted cash bail of $500,000. They were ordered to inform the ICAC of their itineraries if leaving Hong Kong.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Bianca Cheng, assisted by ICAC officer Henley Tsun.
Daniel Jonathan Berman, 31, director of Eurasia Management Services Limited (EMS), Sydney Edels, 59, director of EMS Asia Limited (EMS Asia), and Jeffrey Everard Taylor, 41, former director of BBCW, also had their original charges amended because of the c onsolidation.
BBCW is a subsidiary company wholly owned by British Broadcasting Corporation. EMS was a toy sourcing agent of BBCW, while EMS Asia is a company formed by EMS in Hong Kong.
Magistrate Mr Ian Candy adjourned the case until October 4, 2002, pending transfer to District Court.
The three defendants now face four joint charges. One of the charges alleged them of conspiring together and with other persons 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 that were presented to BBCW for payments;
- falsely representing to BBCW that the falsely inflated prices stated on the invoices of the toy suppliers were true prices;
- causing BBCW to accept that 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, namely Tristar Holdings Group Limited, Anker Limited and Skyline Corporation Limited, all of which were under Berman's control.
The trio further face one count of conspiring together to offer advantages to Taylor for causing or permitting the placing of purchasing orders of goods for and on behalf of BBCW with toy suppliers, namely G.C. & CO., Ming Tat Industrial Co. and Sun Shine Toys Limited, by Berman.
The three defendants were also jointly charged with one count of conspiring together and with other persons 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 in directly, represented the proceeds of an indictable offence.
Berman and Edels further face one count of conspiring to accept advantages from the three toy suppliers as rewards for Berman and Edels to place purchasing orders of goods for and on behalf of BBCW with them.
The alleged offences took place between August 1999 and September 2001.
Berman was granted cash bail of $200,000, while Edels and Taylor were each granted cash bail of $500,000. They were ordered to inform the ICAC of their itineraries if leaving Hong Kong.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Bianca Cheng, assisted by ICAC officer Henley Tsun.