Ex-chefs and suppliers charged with $1.5m bribery and fraud
2016-7-20
Two former chefs of a Chinese restaurant and three food suppliers have been charged by the ICAC today (Wednesday) with soliciting, accepting and offering illegal rebates up to about $1.5 million in relation to placing of food orders, and conspiracy to defraud the restaurant of payments totalling over $3 million.
Li Tat-man, 44, former sous chef of Hutong, a Chinese restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, under Aqua Restaurant Group (ARG), Ng Kam-wai, 57, former chef de cuisine of Hutong; Lo Chi-kin, 62, operator of Choi Hop Lee (CHL), Yuen Chi-chin, 68, proprietor of Chi Kee Poultry (CKP), and Kwan Chik-hung, 61, proprietor of Hin Kee Ho (HKH), face a total of 27 charges.
Li and Lo face one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law. Li, Ng and Yuen have been charged with a similar offence, while Li, Ng and Kwan face another similar offence.
Li and Ng face one count of agent soliciting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO). Li alone faces one similar offence, and eight counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the POBO, while Ng alone faces five similar offences.
Lo alone faces one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(b) of the POBO. Yuen alone faces two similar offences, while Kwan alone faces six similar offences.
The defendants will appear at the Eastern Magistracy on Friday (July 22) for transfer of the case to the District Court for plea.
At the material time, Li and Ng were employed by ARG trading as Hutong as sous chef and chef de cuisine respectively.
Lo was operator of CHL, which supplied condiments to restaurants, including Hutong. Yuen was proprietor of CKP, a supplier of poultry, while Kwan was proprietor of HKH, a supplier of seafood.
One of the charges alleges that Li and Lo conspired together to defraud ARG by falsely representing that the quantity and/or weight of items as stated on the invoices submitted by CHL to Hutong had in fact been supplied to Hutong.
Another charge alleges that Li, Ng and Yuen conspired together to defraud ARG by using similar fraudulent means, while the other charge alleges that Li, Ng and Kwan conspired together to defraud ARG by using similar fraudulent means.
As a result, ARG was caused to settle overstated invoices of CHL, CKP and HKH in the total sum of over $3 million.
In addition, Li and Ng face one count of soliciting from Kwan a rebate of $22,320 as a reward for placing orders of seafood with HKH. Li also faces one count of soliciting from Kwan a rebate of $4,800 for the same purpose.
Eight other charges allege that Li accepted rebates up to over $925,000 from Lo, Yuen, Kwan and three other suppliers as rewards for placing orders with their companies, while five other charges allege that Ng accepted rebates up to over $563,000 from Yuen, Kwan, an operator of CKP and one of the three other suppliers for the same purpose.
Lo faces one count of offering rebates up to $192,000 to Li as rewards for placing orders of condiments with CHL.
Two other charges allege that Yuen offered rebates up to over $137,000 to Ng as rewards for placing orders of poultry with CKP, while the remaining six charges allege that Kwan offered rebates up to over $202,000 to Ng and $2,800 to Li as rewards for placing orders of seafood with HKH.
The above alleged offences took place between January 1, 2008 and June 10, 2015.
ARG has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The defendants have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearances on Friday.
Li Tat-man, 44, former sous chef of Hutong, a Chinese restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, under Aqua Restaurant Group (ARG), Ng Kam-wai, 57, former chef de cuisine of Hutong; Lo Chi-kin, 62, operator of Choi Hop Lee (CHL), Yuen Chi-chin, 68, proprietor of Chi Kee Poultry (CKP), and Kwan Chik-hung, 61, proprietor of Hin Kee Ho (HKH), face a total of 27 charges.
Li and Lo face one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law. Li, Ng and Yuen have been charged with a similar offence, while Li, Ng and Kwan face another similar offence.
Li and Ng face one count of agent soliciting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO). Li alone faces one similar offence, and eight counts of agent accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 9(1)(b) of the POBO, while Ng alone faces five similar offences.
Lo alone faces one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(b) of the POBO. Yuen alone faces two similar offences, while Kwan alone faces six similar offences.
The defendants will appear at the Eastern Magistracy on Friday (July 22) for transfer of the case to the District Court for plea.
At the material time, Li and Ng were employed by ARG trading as Hutong as sous chef and chef de cuisine respectively.
Lo was operator of CHL, which supplied condiments to restaurants, including Hutong. Yuen was proprietor of CKP, a supplier of poultry, while Kwan was proprietor of HKH, a supplier of seafood.
One of the charges alleges that Li and Lo conspired together to defraud ARG by falsely representing that the quantity and/or weight of items as stated on the invoices submitted by CHL to Hutong had in fact been supplied to Hutong.
Another charge alleges that Li, Ng and Yuen conspired together to defraud ARG by using similar fraudulent means, while the other charge alleges that Li, Ng and Kwan conspired together to defraud ARG by using similar fraudulent means.
As a result, ARG was caused to settle overstated invoices of CHL, CKP and HKH in the total sum of over $3 million.
In addition, Li and Ng face one count of soliciting from Kwan a rebate of $22,320 as a reward for placing orders of seafood with HKH. Li also faces one count of soliciting from Kwan a rebate of $4,800 for the same purpose.
Eight other charges allege that Li accepted rebates up to over $925,000 from Lo, Yuen, Kwan and three other suppliers as rewards for placing orders with their companies, while five other charges allege that Ng accepted rebates up to over $563,000 from Yuen, Kwan, an operator of CKP and one of the three other suppliers for the same purpose.
Lo faces one count of offering rebates up to $192,000 to Li as rewards for placing orders of condiments with CHL.
Two other charges allege that Yuen offered rebates up to over $137,000 to Ng as rewards for placing orders of poultry with CKP, while the remaining six charges allege that Kwan offered rebates up to over $202,000 to Ng and $2,800 to Li as rewards for placing orders of seafood with HKH.
The above alleged offences took place between January 1, 2008 and June 10, 2015.
ARG has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The defendants have been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearances on Friday.