Trio in court for alleged $745,000 service contracts fraud
2014-9-25
An employee of a biotechnology company wholly owned by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and two others appeared in the Shatin Magistracy today (Thursday) after being charged by the ICAC for their alleged roles in the fraudulent award of service contracts totalling over $745,000.
Chui Chun-keung, 51, a senior technician of the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology Limited (HKIB), and Chow Paul Christian, 55, a director cum shareholder of Ngai Fung Services Co., Limited (NFS), who were charged on Tuesday (September 23), jointly face d one count of fraud.
Chow was further charged with two counts of possessing equipment for making a false instrument and one of using a false instrument.
Also charged on Tuesday was Kwok Hang-pong, 41, a salesperson, who faced five counts of using a false instrument.
The cases arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC inquiries revealed the above alleged offences.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to their charges. Principal Magistrate Mr Andrew Ma Hon-cheung adjourned the case to October 23 this year for a pre-trial review.
At the material time, Chui was a senior technician of HKIB, a company wholly owned by CUHK. Among his duties was to award water and electrical service contracts of HKIB to various engineering companies.
Chow was a director cum shareholder of NFS, a subcontractor which provided HKIB with water and electrical services, while Kwok was a salesperson of an air-conditioning engineering company.
The fraud charge alleged that Chui and Chow falsely represented that all the submitted quotations for each of 23 contracts, with the purchase requisition numbers, were prepared separately and independent of each other, and with intent to defraud, induced HKIB to award those contracts to NFS. The 23 contracts were said to amount to $745,300.
Two other charges alleged that Chow had in his custody softcopies of nine quotations of the air-conditioning engineering company and a softcopy of a quotation of another engineering company, with the intention that he or another would make false instrumen ts to induce somebody to accept them as genuine.
Chow was also alleged to have used a quotation of the engineering company, which he knew to be false, with the intention of inducing the staff at HKIB to accept it as genuine.
The remaining five charges alleged that Kwok used five quotations of a ventilation system company, with quoted prices ranging from $11,000 to $105,200, which he knew to be false, with the intention to inducing the staff at HKIB to accept them as genuine.
The above alleged offences took place between October 2007 and March 2014.
Chui was granted cash bail of $10,000, while Chow and Kwok were each on cash bail of $50,000. They were also ordered not to interfere with prosecution witnesses.
CUHK had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Dickson Liang.
Chui Chun-keung, 51, a senior technician of the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology Limited (HKIB), and Chow Paul Christian, 55, a director cum shareholder of Ngai Fung Services Co., Limited (NFS), who were charged on Tuesday (September 23), jointly face d one count of fraud.
Chow was further charged with two counts of possessing equipment for making a false instrument and one of using a false instrument.
Also charged on Tuesday was Kwok Hang-pong, 41, a salesperson, who faced five counts of using a false instrument.
The cases arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC inquiries revealed the above alleged offences.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to their charges. Principal Magistrate Mr Andrew Ma Hon-cheung adjourned the case to October 23 this year for a pre-trial review.
At the material time, Chui was a senior technician of HKIB, a company wholly owned by CUHK. Among his duties was to award water and electrical service contracts of HKIB to various engineering companies.
Chow was a director cum shareholder of NFS, a subcontractor which provided HKIB with water and electrical services, while Kwok was a salesperson of an air-conditioning engineering company.
The fraud charge alleged that Chui and Chow falsely represented that all the submitted quotations for each of 23 contracts, with the purchase requisition numbers, were prepared separately and independent of each other, and with intent to defraud, induced HKIB to award those contracts to NFS. The 23 contracts were said to amount to $745,300.
Two other charges alleged that Chow had in his custody softcopies of nine quotations of the air-conditioning engineering company and a softcopy of a quotation of another engineering company, with the intention that he or another would make false instrumen ts to induce somebody to accept them as genuine.
Chow was also alleged to have used a quotation of the engineering company, which he knew to be false, with the intention of inducing the staff at HKIB to accept it as genuine.
The remaining five charges alleged that Kwok used five quotations of a ventilation system company, with quoted prices ranging from $11,000 to $105,200, which he knew to be false, with the intention to inducing the staff at HKIB to accept them as genuine.
The above alleged offences took place between October 2007 and March 2014.
Chui was granted cash bail of $10,000, while Chow and Kwok were each on cash bail of $50,000. They were also ordered not to interfere with prosecution witnesses.
CUHK had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Dickson Liang.