Former foremen jailed for four months over employment bribery
2019-1-7
A former foremen of a cleaning company, charged by the ICAC, was today (January 7) sentenced to four months’ imprisonment at the Kowloon City Magistracy for accepting a bribe from a cleaning worker in relation to the latter’s posting arrangement.
Zhang Aihe, 36, former cleaning foreman of Nixon Cleaning Company Limited (NCL), earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
In sentencing, Magistrate Mr Joseph To Ho-shing said the offence committed by the defendant was serious in nature. He reduced the starting point of nine months in jail to four months after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea and her cooperation with the ICAC.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was a cleaning foreman of NCL, which was the cleaning service contractor of a shopping mall in Homantin.
On October 5, 2017, the defendant told her subordinate, a cleaning worker, that she had treated others with meals so as to secure the latter’s posting at the shopping mall, and asked the cleaning worker to give her $1,400 or otherwise she would post the latter to another site.
The cleaning worker reported the matter to the ICAC on the next day.
On October 16, 2017, the defendant pressed the cleaning worker for the money and was subsequently arrested by ICAC officers after accepting $1,400 marked money from her subordinate, the court was told.
NCL confirmed that the company prohibited its staff members from soliciting and/or accepting advantages from cleaning workers for offering assistance in the latter’s employment or posting arrangement.
NCL had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Edwin Ngai.
Zhang Aihe, 36, former cleaning foreman of Nixon Cleaning Company Limited (NCL), earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
In sentencing, Magistrate Mr Joseph To Ho-shing said the offence committed by the defendant was serious in nature. He reduced the starting point of nine months in jail to four months after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea and her cooperation with the ICAC.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was a cleaning foreman of NCL, which was the cleaning service contractor of a shopping mall in Homantin.
On October 5, 2017, the defendant told her subordinate, a cleaning worker, that she had treated others with meals so as to secure the latter’s posting at the shopping mall, and asked the cleaning worker to give her $1,400 or otherwise she would post the latter to another site.
The cleaning worker reported the matter to the ICAC on the next day.
On October 16, 2017, the defendant pressed the cleaning worker for the money and was subsequently arrested by ICAC officers after accepting $1,400 marked money from her subordinate, the court was told.
NCL confirmed that the company prohibited its staff members from soliciting and/or accepting advantages from cleaning workers for offering assistance in the latter’s employment or posting arrangement.
NCL had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Edwin Ngai.