Former resident engineer found guilty of bribery over Tung Chung Station piling scam
2002-8-23
A former resident engineer, charged by the ICAC, was today (Friday) convicted at District Court of accepting advantages including free trips and nightclub entertainment in connection with a piling scam at a residential building project at Tung Chung Stati on.
Loi Hong-quan, 46, formerly employed by Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (Maunsell), was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud, and six of accepting advantages.
Deputy Judge Miranda Chow adjourned the case until September 6, 2002 for sentence, pending a background report. Loi was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.
The project involved was Tung Chung Station Development Project II Site 4, developed by Tung Chung Station Development Company Limited (TCSDCL).
I-P Foundations Limited (I-P Foundations) was the main contractor of the foundation works for four of the seven residential blocks to be built on the site.
The piling works for three of these blocks was subcontracted to Sunley Engineering & Construction Company Limited (Sunley), while the cutting and prefabrication of reinforcement steel cages was subcontracted to Hung Cheong Engineering Company (Hung Cheong ).
Maunsell was the consultant firm, which supervised the foundation works of the project.
The court heard that Loi had accepted advantages from I-P Foundations, Sunley and Hung Cheong as rewards for lax supervision and showing favour to them in supervising their works on behalf of Maunsell.
The advantages included free trips to the Mainland, expenses for meals and nightclub entertainment, hostess escort services, payment for mobile telephone and roaming charges, and payment for monthly parking fees.
Loi had also conspired with I-P Foundations former staff Li Che-hing, Yu Chun-man, Ko Chi-kwong and other persons to defraud the Buildings Department and TCSDCL by dishonestly concealing the facts that problems had occurred in the construction of a bored pile, causing the structure of the pile to deviate in a material way from the approved plan, and that remedial work had been done to the pile.
The offences took place between July 1, 1997 and May 31, 1998.
Li and Yu were each jailed for one year and nine months at District Court in June 2000 for conspiring to construct substandard bored piles at the project, while Ko was jailed for six months.
In October 2000, following an application to review their sentences by the Department of Justice, the Court of Appeal increased Li’s sentence to five years and Yu’s to two years. Ko had his original six-month term increased to four-and-a-half years.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by Maunsell, which had rendered full co-operation to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by John Marray on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Mui.
Loi Hong-quan, 46, formerly employed by Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (Maunsell), was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud, and six of accepting advantages.
Deputy Judge Miranda Chow adjourned the case until September 6, 2002 for sentence, pending a background report. Loi was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.
The project involved was Tung Chung Station Development Project II Site 4, developed by Tung Chung Station Development Company Limited (TCSDCL).
I-P Foundations Limited (I-P Foundations) was the main contractor of the foundation works for four of the seven residential blocks to be built on the site.
The piling works for three of these blocks was subcontracted to Sunley Engineering & Construction Company Limited (Sunley), while the cutting and prefabrication of reinforcement steel cages was subcontracted to Hung Cheong Engineering Company (Hung Cheong ).
Maunsell was the consultant firm, which supervised the foundation works of the project.
The court heard that Loi had accepted advantages from I-P Foundations, Sunley and Hung Cheong as rewards for lax supervision and showing favour to them in supervising their works on behalf of Maunsell.
The advantages included free trips to the Mainland, expenses for meals and nightclub entertainment, hostess escort services, payment for mobile telephone and roaming charges, and payment for monthly parking fees.
Loi had also conspired with I-P Foundations former staff Li Che-hing, Yu Chun-man, Ko Chi-kwong and other persons to defraud the Buildings Department and TCSDCL by dishonestly concealing the facts that problems had occurred in the construction of a bored pile, causing the structure of the pile to deviate in a material way from the approved plan, and that remedial work had been done to the pile.
The offences took place between July 1, 1997 and May 31, 1998.
Li and Yu were each jailed for one year and nine months at District Court in June 2000 for conspiring to construct substandard bored piles at the project, while Ko was jailed for six months.
In October 2000, following an application to review their sentences by the Department of Justice, the Court of Appeal increased Li’s sentence to five years and Yu’s to two years. Ko had his original six-month term increased to four-and-a-half years.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by Maunsell, which had rendered full co-operation to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by John Marray on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Mui.