Prisoner of Stanley Prison charged by ICAC admits offering $500,000 bribe to DoJ prosecutor over trial
2024-9-3
A prisoner of Stanley Prison, charged by the ICAC, today (September 3) admitted at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts that he had offered a bribe of $500,000 to a public prosecutor of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to seek the latter’s assistance in interfering with the trial of another criminal case the prisoner faced.
Ko Wai-kin, 40, today pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Magistrate Mr Jeffrey Sze Cho-yiu adjourned the case to September 19 for sentence, pending the defendant’s background report. The defendant was remanded in custody of the Correctional Services Department (CSD).
At the material time, the defendant was serving a jail term at Stanley Prison. He was also involved in a deception case which would be tried at the District Court. In late February 2023 at Stanley Prison, the defendant requested to send a registered mail containing a photocopy of a handwritten letter to a then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor of the DoJ.
The court heard that in his letter, the defendant offered a bribe of $500,000 to the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor, seeking the latter’s assistance to interfere with the legal proceedings of the deception case by concealing the involvement of other offender(s) in the case and their criminal acts. The defendant also sought assistance in deceiving the court into concluding the case in the belief that he was solely responsible for committing the offences concerned.
Upon receiving the mail, the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor reported the matter to the management at once, and the DoJ immediately referred the case to the ICAC. The DoJ and the CSD had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Choice Choi, assisted by ICAC officer Wilson Lam.
An ICAC spokesperson stressed that bribery is a serious offence. The ICAC has zero tolerance for illegal act of bribing public servants in exchange for assistance or favour. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000.
Ko Wai-kin, 40, today pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to Section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Magistrate Mr Jeffrey Sze Cho-yiu adjourned the case to September 19 for sentence, pending the defendant’s background report. The defendant was remanded in custody of the Correctional Services Department (CSD).
At the material time, the defendant was serving a jail term at Stanley Prison. He was also involved in a deception case which would be tried at the District Court. In late February 2023 at Stanley Prison, the defendant requested to send a registered mail containing a photocopy of a handwritten letter to a then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor of the DoJ.
The court heard that in his letter, the defendant offered a bribe of $500,000 to the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor, seeking the latter’s assistance to interfere with the legal proceedings of the deception case by concealing the involvement of other offender(s) in the case and their criminal acts. The defendant also sought assistance in deceiving the court into concluding the case in the belief that he was solely responsible for committing the offences concerned.
Upon receiving the mail, the then Acting Senior Public Prosecutor reported the matter to the management at once, and the DoJ immediately referred the case to the ICAC. The DoJ and the CSD had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Choice Choi, assisted by ICAC officer Wilson Lam.
An ICAC spokesperson stressed that bribery is a serious offence. The ICAC has zero tolerance for illegal act of bribing public servants in exchange for assistance or favour. The maximum penalty on conviction of the offence is a seven-year imprisonment and a fine of $500,000.