Contractor goes to jail after bribery conviction upheld
2003-8-22
A contractor, charged by the ICAC, was today (Friday) sent to jail to serve his prison term, after the Court of First Instance dismissed his appeal against sentence and conviction of offering a free package tour to an owners' incorporation (OI) chairlady for obtaining $1.1 million worth of lift maintenance contracts of a residential estate in Shatin.
Yu Po-leung, 55, former shareholder and director of Antonfield Engineering Company Limited (Antonfield), was found guilty of one count of offering an advantage to an agent under Section 9(2)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance in November last year.
Yu was subsequently sentenced to six months' imprisonment. He was granted cash bail of $20,000, pending an appeal.
In dismissing Yu's appeal, Deputy Judge Barnes rejected his argument that he, while offering the free package tour to the Middle East to the chairlady, did not realize that the chairlady was an agent of the OI.
The court heard that the owners' incorporation of Jubilee Garden called for a tender for lift maintenance contracts in late 1998.
Antonfield was subsequently offered the relevant maintenance contracts. The company's bid was not the lowest.
Between January 1 and February 4, 1999, Yu offered a payment of $39,880, being the costs of a "13-day Turkey, Greece, and Egypt Tour" for two persons, to Liu Huan-yee, chairlady of the Incorporated Owners of Jubilee Garden.
The bribes were for Liu to award about $1.1 million worth of lift maintenance contracts of Jubilee Garden to Antonfield.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Martin Hui, assisted by ICAC officer Winnie Lee.
Yu Po-leung, 55, former shareholder and director of Antonfield Engineering Company Limited (Antonfield), was found guilty of one count of offering an advantage to an agent under Section 9(2)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance in November last year.
Yu was subsequently sentenced to six months' imprisonment. He was granted cash bail of $20,000, pending an appeal.
In dismissing Yu's appeal, Deputy Judge Barnes rejected his argument that he, while offering the free package tour to the Middle East to the chairlady, did not realize that the chairlady was an agent of the OI.
The court heard that the owners' incorporation of Jubilee Garden called for a tender for lift maintenance contracts in late 1998.
Antonfield was subsequently offered the relevant maintenance contracts. The company's bid was not the lowest.
Between January 1 and February 4, 1999, Yu offered a payment of $39,880, being the costs of a "13-day Turkey, Greece, and Egypt Tour" for two persons, to Liu Huan-yee, chairlady of the Incorporated Owners of Jubilee Garden.
The bribes were for Liu to award about $1.1 million worth of lift maintenance contracts of Jubilee Garden to Antonfield.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Martin Hui, assisted by ICAC officer Winnie Lee.