Ex-engineers and foreman jailed for $51m fraud
2004-7-3
Two former engineers and a foreman of an engineering company were today (Saturday) sentenced to jail terms up to three years and eight months at District Court for their involvement in a $51 million fraud.
Eric Wong Cho-tat, 41, former chief engineer of Great Eagle Engineering Company Limited (Great Eagle Engineering), received a jail sentence of three years and two months.
Perry Wong Hon-yin, 37, former senior engineer of Great Eagle Engineering, was sentenced to three years and eight months.
Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin were each ordered to repay $7 million to their former employer.
Yiu To-wing, 37, former foreman of Great Eagle Engineering, was jailed for three years, and required to pay a restitution of about $690,000 to his former employer.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Allan Wyeth said custodial sentences were imposed, in view of the serious offences as well as a serious breach of trust committed by the defendants over a long period of time.
Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin had each pleaded guilty to five counts of agents conspiring to use documents with intent to deceive their principal, contrary to Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, while Yiu was found guilty of a similar off ence.
Great Eagle Engineering, a subsidiary of publicly listed Great Eagle Holdings Limited (Great Eagle Holdings), provides maintenance services to buildings of Great Eagle Holdings.
The court heard that Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin had conspired with Yiu to use false job orders and purchase requisition forms of Great Eagle Engineering for the purported supply of materials or labour as well as bogus invoices of four shell companies w ith intent to deceive Great Eagle Engineering.
As a result of the fraudulent means, Great Eagle Engineering was deceived into paying a total of $51 million to the four shell companies, which were under the control of the defendants, the court heard.
The offences took place between August 1995 and March 2002.
The prosecution was today represented by Petrus Chan on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Richard Li.
Eric Wong Cho-tat, 41, former chief engineer of Great Eagle Engineering Company Limited (Great Eagle Engineering), received a jail sentence of three years and two months.
Perry Wong Hon-yin, 37, former senior engineer of Great Eagle Engineering, was sentenced to three years and eight months.
Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin were each ordered to repay $7 million to their former employer.
Yiu To-wing, 37, former foreman of Great Eagle Engineering, was jailed for three years, and required to pay a restitution of about $690,000 to his former employer.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Allan Wyeth said custodial sentences were imposed, in view of the serious offences as well as a serious breach of trust committed by the defendants over a long period of time.
Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin had each pleaded guilty to five counts of agents conspiring to use documents with intent to deceive their principal, contrary to Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, while Yiu was found guilty of a similar off ence.
Great Eagle Engineering, a subsidiary of publicly listed Great Eagle Holdings Limited (Great Eagle Holdings), provides maintenance services to buildings of Great Eagle Holdings.
The court heard that Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin had conspired with Yiu to use false job orders and purchase requisition forms of Great Eagle Engineering for the purported supply of materials or labour as well as bogus invoices of four shell companies w ith intent to deceive Great Eagle Engineering.
As a result of the fraudulent means, Great Eagle Engineering was deceived into paying a total of $51 million to the four shell companies, which were under the control of the defendants, the court heard.
The offences took place between August 1995 and March 2002.
The prosecution was today represented by Petrus Chan on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Richard Li.