Ex-Chief Manager of Wharf gets four years for accepting $3m in bribes
2006-11-10
A former Chief Manager of publicly listed The Wharf (Holdings) Limited (Wharf), charged by the ICAC, was today (Friday) sentenced to four years' imprisonment at the District Court for conspiracy to accept about $3 million in bribes in relation to Wharf's construction and renovation contracts.
Warren Wong Kwok-wang, 50, was earlier found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to accept advantages as an agent, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
Deputy Judge Sham Siu-man ordered two of the four years to run consecutively to his current seven-year jail term for soliciting and accepting tens of millions of dollars in bribes in relation to construction projects of Wharf in a separate case after tria l at the Court of First Instance.
The judge also ordered the defendant to pay Wharf a restitution of about $3 million.
In sentencing, the judge said corruption was an evil crime. Every law-abiding citizen would not tolerate unjust situations created by bribery and corruption.
The judge added that to maintain a clean and corruption-free society, the courts had always been severe on the offenders of such crime. Anyone who resorted to corruption often landed himself in gaol, and there was no getting away from it.
The court heard that at the time of the offences, Wong was responsible for tender price evaluation and cost control of projects developed by Wharf.
Between January 1, 1998 and September 30, 2002, Wong conspired with a construction project consultant for Wong to accept bribes totalling about $3 million from three contractors.
In return, Wong assisted those contractors to obtain four construction or renovation projects worth $212.5 million from Wharf in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Jonathan Acton-Bond, assisted by ICAC officer Arthur Leung.
Warren Wong Kwok-wang, 50, was earlier found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to accept advantages as an agent, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
Deputy Judge Sham Siu-man ordered two of the four years to run consecutively to his current seven-year jail term for soliciting and accepting tens of millions of dollars in bribes in relation to construction projects of Wharf in a separate case after tria l at the Court of First Instance.
The judge also ordered the defendant to pay Wharf a restitution of about $3 million.
In sentencing, the judge said corruption was an evil crime. Every law-abiding citizen would not tolerate unjust situations created by bribery and corruption.
The judge added that to maintain a clean and corruption-free society, the courts had always been severe on the offenders of such crime. Anyone who resorted to corruption often landed himself in gaol, and there was no getting away from it.
The court heard that at the time of the offences, Wong was responsible for tender price evaluation and cost control of projects developed by Wharf.
Between January 1, 1998 and September 30, 2002, Wong conspired with a construction project consultant for Wong to accept bribes totalling about $3 million from three contractors.
In return, Wong assisted those contractors to obtain four construction or renovation projects worth $212.5 million from Wharf in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Jonathan Acton-Bond, assisted by ICAC officer Arthur Leung.