Duo admit bribery over smartphone repair services
2020-6-1
Two then parallel goods traders, charged by the ICAC in separate cases, today (June 1) admitted at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts that they had offered bribes to an employee of a smartphone repair service provider to assist them in submitting more smartphones for repair.
Pang Tze-yung, 29, then parallel goods trader, pleaded guilty to six counts of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO). Another then parallel goods trader, Pang Shui-luen, 27, pleaded guilty to three similar offences.
Acting Principal Magistrate Miss Ivy Chui Yee-mei adjourned the two cases to June 15 for sentence, pending their community service order reports. Pang Tze-yung was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department, while Pang Shui-luen was granted cash bail.
Adjourning the cases for sentence, the magistrate said bribery was a serious crime which warranted a custodial sentence in general.
The court heard that at the material time, Wah Fung Computer Services Limited (Wah Fung) was an authorised service provider of Apple Asia Limited (Apple Asia) providing repair services for the latter’s products, including smartphones, in Hong Kong.
Repair service users were required to reserve timeslots with Wah Fung through its website. Due to high demand for repair services, timeslots were reserved on a first come, first served basis. The number of smartphones to be repaired at each timeslot for a user was also limited.
The court heard that in the first case, Pang Tze-yung paid a total of $6,400 to a customer service officer of Wah Fung on six occasions between June 29 and September 19, 2016 upon the latter’s solicitation.
Pang Tze-yung admitted that she paid bribes for the customer service officer’s assistance in reserving timeslots with Wah Fung and submitting more smartphones to the company for repair.
The court also heard that in another case, Pang Shui-luen admitted that she paid $800 in total to the aforesaid customer service officer on three occasions between October 3, 2016 and January 24, 2017 upon the latter’s solicitation for assistance in submitting more smartphones to Wah Fung for repair.
Meanwhile, two other defendants also appeared at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts today after being charged in two other ICAC cases for bribery over access to an internal web-based system of Apple Asia, which contained confidential product information, in connection with repair of smartphones.
Hon Chi-ho, 29, former technician of Wah Fung, entered no plea to two counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the POBO. His case was adjourned to June 29 for mention.
Lam Wai, 40, another then parallel goods trader, faced two counts of offering an advantage to an agent. No plea was taken today. His case was adjourned to July 13 for mention.
Wah Fung and Apple Asia had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the cases.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Eddie Chu.
Pang Tze-yung, 29, then parallel goods trader, pleaded guilty to six counts of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO). Another then parallel goods trader, Pang Shui-luen, 27, pleaded guilty to three similar offences.
Acting Principal Magistrate Miss Ivy Chui Yee-mei adjourned the two cases to June 15 for sentence, pending their community service order reports. Pang Tze-yung was remanded in the custody of the Correctional Services Department, while Pang Shui-luen was granted cash bail.
Adjourning the cases for sentence, the magistrate said bribery was a serious crime which warranted a custodial sentence in general.
The court heard that at the material time, Wah Fung Computer Services Limited (Wah Fung) was an authorised service provider of Apple Asia Limited (Apple Asia) providing repair services for the latter’s products, including smartphones, in Hong Kong.
Repair service users were required to reserve timeslots with Wah Fung through its website. Due to high demand for repair services, timeslots were reserved on a first come, first served basis. The number of smartphones to be repaired at each timeslot for a user was also limited.
The court heard that in the first case, Pang Tze-yung paid a total of $6,400 to a customer service officer of Wah Fung on six occasions between June 29 and September 19, 2016 upon the latter’s solicitation.
Pang Tze-yung admitted that she paid bribes for the customer service officer’s assistance in reserving timeslots with Wah Fung and submitting more smartphones to the company for repair.
The court also heard that in another case, Pang Shui-luen admitted that she paid $800 in total to the aforesaid customer service officer on three occasions between October 3, 2016 and January 24, 2017 upon the latter’s solicitation for assistance in submitting more smartphones to Wah Fung for repair.
Meanwhile, two other defendants also appeared at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts today after being charged in two other ICAC cases for bribery over access to an internal web-based system of Apple Asia, which contained confidential product information, in connection with repair of smartphones.
Hon Chi-ho, 29, former technician of Wah Fung, entered no plea to two counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the POBO. His case was adjourned to June 29 for mention.
Lam Wai, 40, another then parallel goods trader, faced two counts of offering an advantage to an agent. No plea was taken today. His case was adjourned to July 13 for mention.
Wah Fung and Apple Asia had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the cases.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Eddie Chu.