An officer of the Labour Department (LD), charged by the ICAC, was today (Friday) sentenced at Kowloon City Magistracy for misconduct in public office by visiting a mahjong school while on duty on several occasions.

Law Hoi-fat, 50, Occupational Safety Officer of LD, was ordered by Magistrate Mr Peter Law Tak-chuen to perform 240 hours of community service.

The defendant earlier pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office.

The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the misconduct offence.

The court heard that at the time of the offence, the defendant was tasked to conduct a survey on the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation.

The defendant recorded in his official diary that he paid on-site visits to 15 shops between June 18 and 23, 2008.

Surveillance by ICAC officers confirmed that the defendant did not conduct any visit to those shops. The shop operators concerned also confirmed that no LD officer had ever visited their shops during the specified period.

Instead, the defendant was found to have stayed at a mahjong school while he was supposed to be on duty during the period.

The defendant made false entries on the official diary and false records in office files purported to show that he visited those shops to carry out the survey when in fact he did not.

He also submitted survey forms containing opinions purportedly obtained from persons in those shops where the survey was conducted when in fact no such opinions had been so obtained, the court was told.

The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Bernard Yuen, assisted by ICAC officer Joey Lee.