Marine Department officer gets two years for misconduct over $2m purchase orders
2004-11-2
A Supplies Supervisor I of the Marine Department (MD), charged by the ICAC, was today (Tuesday) sentenced to two years' imprisonment at District Court for misconduct in public office and fraud in relation to the awarding of over $2 million worth of MD's p urchase orders.
Chan Chung-ching, 53, was earlier found guilty of two counts of misconduct in public office, and four of fraud.
In sentencing, Judge Fergal Sweeney reprimanded the defendant for abusing his position and showing no remorse.
The two misconduct charges stated that Chan, in the course of his public office, had wilfully and intentionally culpably misconducted himself in respect of the issuing of purchase orders to Castle Stamp & Design Company (Castle Stamp) and Achievement Trad ing Company (Achievement), respectively owned by his wife and an acquaintance.
The purchase orders related to various items, including office equipment, electrical appliances, cleaning products as well as mechanical parts for vessel maintenance.
The court heard that Chan had failed to declare a conflict of interest arising from his relationship with the proprietors of Castle Stamp and Achievement, and circumvented the Government's Stores and Procurement Regulations in awarding purchase orders to the two companies.
In order to show that the two companies made the lowest bid for the purchase orders, Chan had submitted false quotations to the department, purportedly issued by a number of companies, some of which did not exist.
As a result, 19 purchase orders of MD, worth over $48,300, were awarded to Castle Stamp in 1999; while a total of 232 purchase orders with an aggregate value of over $2.1 million were awarded to Achievement between 1999 and 2003, the court heard.
The four fraud charges stated that Chan had fraudulently induced MD to award purchase orders to four suppliers, by falsely representing to MD that genuine competing quotations higher in price than those provided by these suppliers had been obtained.
The prosecution was today represented by Mr Frederic Whitehouse, counsel on fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Andrew Wong.
Chan Chung-ching, 53, was earlier found guilty of two counts of misconduct in public office, and four of fraud.
In sentencing, Judge Fergal Sweeney reprimanded the defendant for abusing his position and showing no remorse.
The two misconduct charges stated that Chan, in the course of his public office, had wilfully and intentionally culpably misconducted himself in respect of the issuing of purchase orders to Castle Stamp & Design Company (Castle Stamp) and Achievement Trad ing Company (Achievement), respectively owned by his wife and an acquaintance.
The purchase orders related to various items, including office equipment, electrical appliances, cleaning products as well as mechanical parts for vessel maintenance.
The court heard that Chan had failed to declare a conflict of interest arising from his relationship with the proprietors of Castle Stamp and Achievement, and circumvented the Government's Stores and Procurement Regulations in awarding purchase orders to the two companies.
In order to show that the two companies made the lowest bid for the purchase orders, Chan had submitted false quotations to the department, purportedly issued by a number of companies, some of which did not exist.
As a result, 19 purchase orders of MD, worth over $48,300, were awarded to Castle Stamp in 1999; while a total of 232 purchase orders with an aggregate value of over $2.1 million were awarded to Achievement between 1999 and 2003, the court heard.
The four fraud charges stated that Chan had fraudulently induced MD to award purchase orders to four suppliers, by falsely representing to MD that genuine competing quotations higher in price than those provided by these suppliers had been obtained.
The prosecution was today represented by Mr Frederic Whitehouse, counsel on fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Andrew Wong.