In response to media enquiries, an ICAC spokesperson confirmed that the Commission had earlier mounted an operation, resulting in a crackdown of a corruption syndicate which allegedly engaged in bribery and fraudulent means to assist Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme members to apply for early withdrawal of their MPF with false documents and statutory declarations.

A then head chef of a Chinese restaurant, charged by the ICAC, was today (October 13) sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts upon conviction of soliciting and accepting bribes from a subordinate for assisting the subordinate and his wife to maintain employment with the restaurant and get promoted, and perverting public justice by inciting the subordinate to make false statements to the Commission in respect of the bribery investigation.

A then electrician employed by a subcontractor of the construction site of a Community Isolation Facility in Yuen Long during the COVID-19 pandemic was charged by the ICAC yesterday (October 12) with soliciting and accepting bribes from five fellow workers over their employment, and blackmailing one of the workers who declined his solicitation.

An Assistant Social Work Officer of the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and an operator of a private residential care home for the elderly (RCHE) were charged by the ICAC yesterday (October 11) with accepting and offering bribes for referring discharged patients of the Princess Margaret Hospital to the aforesaid RCHE.

Two then team leaders of a sub-contractor of a park construction project, charged by the ICAC, today (October 12) admitted at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts that they had accepted bribes totalling over $64,000 from four workers for securing the latter’s employment with the sub-contractor.

To tie in with the latest development of country’s Belt and Road Initiative (The Initiative), the ICAC hosted the first Professional Anti-corruption Training in Major Infrastructure Projects for Belt and Road (B&R) countries, set to enhance the anti-graft capabilities of participating countries through experience sharing.

The ICAC had earlier charged two operators of two former suppliers of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for fraud by conspiring with a then Adjunct Associate Professor of the university to conceal the latter’s interest in the two suppliers concerning various procurements that involved payments amounted to several million dollars over a span of more than seven years. One of the duo was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to his offences at the District Court today (October 11).

A property buyer, charged by the ICAC, was today (October 10) sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment at the District Court for deceiving a bank and the HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI) into granting a mortgage loan with a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 80 per cent, amounting to about $7.8 million, by making false representations that a flat was purchased for self-use. The offences were revealed in the course of a corruption investigation by the ICAC.

Due to facilities improvement works, the ICAC Regional Office (HK West/Islands) at G/F, Harbour Commercial Building, 124 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong will be temporarily closed from October 13 (Friday) for around six weeks. The ICAC apologises for any inconvenience caused.

A man appeared in the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today (October 5) for mention after being charged by the ICAC with bribing a bank employee for opening a personal bank account.