Former resident engineer gets 3 years and 9 months for bribery and fraud in Tung Chung Station defective piling case
2002-9-6
A former resident engineer, charged by the ICAC, was today (Friday) sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment at District Court for accepting advantages including free trips and nightclub entertainment in connection with a defective pile at a residential building project near Tung Chung Station.
Loi Hong-quan, 46, formerly employed by Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (Maunsell), was earlier found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud, and six of accepting advantages.
Deputy Judge Miranda Chow said Loi had not only failed to supervise the project as a resident engineer, but also played a role in covering up the problem of a defective pile and its remedial work.
The judge also said the defendant had put public safety at risk, and breached the trust placed in him by his employer.
In accepting advantages to compromise his duty, Loi's sordid acts had betrayed his professionalism and caused his innocent family to suffer, the judge added.
The project involved was Tung Chung Station Development Package 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 between July 1997 and May 1998, Loi had accepted advantages from I-P Foundations, Hung Cheong and a subcontractor of Sunley 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 IDD calls 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.
They had dishonestly concealed 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.
Li, Yu and Ko were earlier convicted of conspiring to construct substandard bored piles at the project, and received jail terms ranging from two to five years following an application to review their sentences by the Department of Justice.
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 Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ian McWalters, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Mui.
Loi Hong-quan, 46, formerly employed by Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (Maunsell), was earlier found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud, and six of accepting advantages.
Deputy Judge Miranda Chow said Loi had not only failed to supervise the project as a resident engineer, but also played a role in covering up the problem of a defective pile and its remedial work.
The judge also said the defendant had put public safety at risk, and breached the trust placed in him by his employer.
In accepting advantages to compromise his duty, Loi's sordid acts had betrayed his professionalism and caused his innocent family to suffer, the judge added.
The project involved was Tung Chung Station Development Package 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 between July 1997 and May 1998, Loi had accepted advantages from I-P Foundations, Hung Cheong and a subcontractor of Sunley 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 IDD calls 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.
They had dishonestly concealed 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.
Li, Yu and Ko were earlier convicted of conspiring to construct substandard bored piles at the project, and received jail terms ranging from two to five years following an application to review their sentences by the Department of Justice.
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 Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ian McWalters, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Mui.