Ex-senior executive of telecom company jailed for accepting $1.7m bribes
2014-10-17
A former senior executive of a listed telecommunications company, charged by the ICAC, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment at the District Court today (Friday) for accepting bribes totalling $1.7 million for disclosing confidential tender information to a sole director of a technology company.
Wong Tin-wah, 53, a former assistant vice president of PCCW Limited (PCCW), was also ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution to PCCW.
In sentencing, Judge Sham Siu-man remarked that the bribery offences committed by the defendant were serious in nature and created unfairness in PCCW’s tendering system.
The judge added that the starting point of two years in jail was reduced by one-third to 16 months after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea.
The defendant earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant supervised one of the four technical departments of PCCW that were engaged in the design and development of broadband networks and installation of technical products for the broadband networks of it s clients.
The technical departments were required to purchase technical products, for which suppliers were invited to submit tenders. Upon receipt of the tenders, the technical departments were tasked to evaluate the technical aspects of them.
In 2005, the defendant came to know a salesperson of a then technical product supplier. According to the Company Registry records, the defendant and the salesperson later set up Un-sky Technology Limited (UTL) in August 2006.
In September 2006, the defendant resigned his directorship at UTL and transferred all his shares of UTL to the salesperson, who remained as the sole director cum shareholder of the company.
About two years later, the sole director cum shareholder of UTL asked the defendant to provide her with confidential information of PCCW in order to assist UTL in bidding contracts of PCCW. The defendant acceded to the request.
Between August 2009 and November 2012, UTL was invited to submit tenders for 12 contracts of various technical products required by PCCW.
Upon request of the sole director cum shareholder of UTL, the defendant continuously provided her with confidential information of PCCW, including the identities of major bidders and the possible price reduction trend of the technical products of PCCW.
In the end, UTL was selected by PCCW as one of the suppliers in the said 12 contracts, of which the technical department supervised by the defendant was the major user.
On three occasions between July 2010 and February 2012, the defendant accepted $500,000, $700,000 and $500,000 in cash respectively from the sole director cum shareholder of UTL.
Subsequently, PCCW purchased a large number of technical products worth about $174 million from UTL, the court was told.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by PCCW, which had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Jonathan Lin, assisted by ICAC officer Thomas Ho.
Wong Tin-wah, 53, a former assistant vice president of PCCW Limited (PCCW), was also ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution to PCCW.
In sentencing, Judge Sham Siu-man remarked that the bribery offences committed by the defendant were serious in nature and created unfairness in PCCW’s tendering system.
The judge added that the starting point of two years in jail was reduced by one-third to 16 months after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea.
The defendant earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant supervised one of the four technical departments of PCCW that were engaged in the design and development of broadband networks and installation of technical products for the broadband networks of it s clients.
The technical departments were required to purchase technical products, for which suppliers were invited to submit tenders. Upon receipt of the tenders, the technical departments were tasked to evaluate the technical aspects of them.
In 2005, the defendant came to know a salesperson of a then technical product supplier. According to the Company Registry records, the defendant and the salesperson later set up Un-sky Technology Limited (UTL) in August 2006.
In September 2006, the defendant resigned his directorship at UTL and transferred all his shares of UTL to the salesperson, who remained as the sole director cum shareholder of the company.
About two years later, the sole director cum shareholder of UTL asked the defendant to provide her with confidential information of PCCW in order to assist UTL in bidding contracts of PCCW. The defendant acceded to the request.
Between August 2009 and November 2012, UTL was invited to submit tenders for 12 contracts of various technical products required by PCCW.
Upon request of the sole director cum shareholder of UTL, the defendant continuously provided her with confidential information of PCCW, including the identities of major bidders and the possible price reduction trend of the technical products of PCCW.
In the end, UTL was selected by PCCW as one of the suppliers in the said 12 contracts, of which the technical department supervised by the defendant was the major user.
On three occasions between July 2010 and February 2012, the defendant accepted $500,000, $700,000 and $500,000 in cash respectively from the sole director cum shareholder of UTL.
Subsequently, PCCW purchased a large number of technical products worth about $174 million from UTL, the court was told.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by PCCW, which had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Jonathan Lin, assisted by ICAC officer Thomas Ho.