Curator and company proprietor guilty of fraud over archaeological projects
2004-5-13
A Curator of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and a proprietor of a consultant firm, charged by the ICAC, were today (Thursday) convicted at Kowloon City Magistracy of a fraudulent scam in relation to $250,000 worth of archaeological su rvey and excavation projects.
Chau Hing-wah, 44, Curator of LCSD, and Lee Yu-sing, 43, proprietor of Field Archaeological Consultant (FAC), were found guilty on a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of LCSD.
Lee was further convicted of six similar charges.
Magistrate Mr Fred Sham sentenced Lee to six months' imprisonment, and adjourned Chau's sentencing until May 27, 2004, pending a community service order report.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that a staff member of AMO might have accepted advantages for awarding contracts to an archaeology company.
ICAC inquiries revealed a scam by which the defendants had fraudulently obtained various archaeological survey and excavation contracts from AMO.
The court heard that archaeological contractors are prohibited to enter into more than one contract with AMO at any one time.
Between January and November 2001, Lee had instructed a number of FAC employees to bid for AMO contracts on behalf of FAC, knowing that FAC had an existing contract with AMO.
Lee had falsely represented to AMO that these persons would undertake the archaeological and excavations works in relation to various projects.
ICAC inquiries revealed that the employees, upon receiving the contract payments issued by AMO, had returned the money to Lee, who had performed some of the archaeological and excavation works.
With the assistance of Chau, AMO was deceived into granting an archaeological contract, worth about $50,000, to one of the FAC employees, the court heard.
The court also heard that Lee, by similar means, had deceived AMO into granting another six contracts, worth about $200,000 in total.
The prosecution was today represented by Selwyn So on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Terrence Cheung.
Chau Hing-wah, 44, Curator of LCSD, and Lee Yu-sing, 43, proprietor of Field Archaeological Consultant (FAC), were found guilty on a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of LCSD.
Lee was further convicted of six similar charges.
Magistrate Mr Fred Sham sentenced Lee to six months' imprisonment, and adjourned Chau's sentencing until May 27, 2004, pending a community service order report.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that a staff member of AMO might have accepted advantages for awarding contracts to an archaeology company.
ICAC inquiries revealed a scam by which the defendants had fraudulently obtained various archaeological survey and excavation contracts from AMO.
The court heard that archaeological contractors are prohibited to enter into more than one contract with AMO at any one time.
Between January and November 2001, Lee had instructed a number of FAC employees to bid for AMO contracts on behalf of FAC, knowing that FAC had an existing contract with AMO.
Lee had falsely represented to AMO that these persons would undertake the archaeological and excavations works in relation to various projects.
ICAC inquiries revealed that the employees, upon receiving the contract payments issued by AMO, had returned the money to Lee, who had performed some of the archaeological and excavation works.
With the assistance of Chau, AMO was deceived into granting an archaeological contract, worth about $50,000, to one of the FAC employees, the court heard.
The court also heard that Lee, by similar means, had deceived AMO into granting another six contracts, worth about $200,000 in total.
The prosecution was today represented by Selwyn So on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Terrence Cheung.