Seven years for duo in Tin Chung Court substandard piling scam
2003-10-31
The Court of First Instance today (Friday) meted out a seven-year jail term to a former senior engineer of a piling contractor and a former assistant clerk of works of an architectural consultant for their roles in a substandard piling scam at Tin Chung C ourt in Tin Shui Wai.
Wong Shun-wah, 39, former senior manager of B+B Construction Company Limited (B+B) (formerly known as Franki Contractors Limited), and To Man-kum, 34, former assistant clerk of works employed by Hsin Yieh Architects and Associates Limited (Hsin Yieh) on b ehalf of the Housing Authority (HA), were earlier found guilty by a jury of one joint charge of conspiracy to defraud.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Pang said the defendants had failed to discharge their duty properly, and had conspired to conceal in the piling record that the piles were driven to final set.
The court heard that a total of 585 piles were constructed at the site of Ting Chung Court. Out of the 32 piles selected for detailed tests, 29 were found to be shortened up to about seven metres.
Remedial work of about $250 million, which was more than thrice of the piling cost, had to be carried out as a result of the scam, the court was told.
The incident was uncovered during the summer of 1999 when lifts could not be installed due to excessive tilting of the lift shafts caused by uneven settlements.
Wong and To were arrested in an ICAC operation, following a corruption complaint referred by the Housing Department.
Hsin Yieh was the architectural consultant appointed by HA to supervise the construction of Blocks 1 and 2 of Tin Chung Court Phase I, a Home Ownership Scheme project of HA in Tin Shui Wai; while B+B was the project’s piling contractor.
The court heard that between October 1996 and February 1997, Wong and To had conspired together to defraud Hsin Yieh and HA by making a false representation in the Registered Structural Engineer Report, stating that the lengths of all as-built driven pile s for Blocks 1 and 2 of Tin Chung Court of Tin Shui Wai Area 31 Phase I had purportedly reached the depths as required in the contract.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ian McWalters, assisted by ICAC officer Ringo Yung.
Wong Shun-wah, 39, former senior manager of B+B Construction Company Limited (B+B) (formerly known as Franki Contractors Limited), and To Man-kum, 34, former assistant clerk of works employed by Hsin Yieh Architects and Associates Limited (Hsin Yieh) on b ehalf of the Housing Authority (HA), were earlier found guilty by a jury of one joint charge of conspiracy to defraud.
In sentencing, Mr Justice Pang said the defendants had failed to discharge their duty properly, and had conspired to conceal in the piling record that the piles were driven to final set.
The court heard that a total of 585 piles were constructed at the site of Ting Chung Court. Out of the 32 piles selected for detailed tests, 29 were found to be shortened up to about seven metres.
Remedial work of about $250 million, which was more than thrice of the piling cost, had to be carried out as a result of the scam, the court was told.
The incident was uncovered during the summer of 1999 when lifts could not be installed due to excessive tilting of the lift shafts caused by uneven settlements.
Wong and To were arrested in an ICAC operation, following a corruption complaint referred by the Housing Department.
Hsin Yieh was the architectural consultant appointed by HA to supervise the construction of Blocks 1 and 2 of Tin Chung Court Phase I, a Home Ownership Scheme project of HA in Tin Shui Wai; while B+B was the project’s piling contractor.
The court heard that between October 1996 and February 1997, Wong and To had conspired together to defraud Hsin Yieh and HA by making a false representation in the Registered Structural Engineer Report, stating that the lengths of all as-built driven pile s for Blocks 1 and 2 of Tin Chung Court of Tin Shui Wai Area 31 Phase I had purportedly reached the depths as required in the contract.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Ian McWalters, assisted by ICAC officer Ringo Yung.