Curator sentenced for fraud over archaeological project
2004-5-27
A Curator of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), charged by the ICAC, was today (Thursday) sentenced at Kowloon City Magistracy for deceiving the Antiquities and Monuments office (AMO) of LCSD into granting an archaeological survey contra ct to an unqualified contractor.
Chau Hing-wah, 44, Curator of LCSD, was sentenced by Magistrate Mr Fred Sham to 240 hours of community service.
Chau and Lee Yu-sing, 43, proprietor of Field Archaeological Consultant (FAC), were earlier found guilty on a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the AMO.
Lee, who was further convicted of six similar charges, was jailed for six months.
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 deceived AMO into granting various archaeological survey and excavation contracts to an archaeology company which was not qualified to bid for such contracts.
Archaeological contractors are prohibited to enter into more than one contract with AMO at any one time.
The court heard that 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 the FAC employees would undertake the archaeological and excavation works stated in these contracts.
ICAC inquiries revealed that the FAC 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, was sentenced by Magistrate Mr Fred Sham to 240 hours of community service.
Chau and Lee Yu-sing, 43, proprietor of Field Archaeological Consultant (FAC), were earlier found guilty on a joint charge of conspiracy to defraud the AMO.
Lee, who was further convicted of six similar charges, was jailed for six months.
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 deceived AMO into granting various archaeological survey and excavation contracts to an archaeology company which was not qualified to bid for such contracts.
Archaeological contractors are prohibited to enter into more than one contract with AMO at any one time.
The court heard that 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 the FAC employees would undertake the archaeological and excavation works stated in these contracts.
ICAC inquiries revealed that the FAC 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.