Woman charged by ICAC gets 20 weeks’ jail for bribing then HKUST Professor bribery over master’s programme admission
2026-7-10
A then Chair Professor of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), charged by the ICAC, was earlier jailed for accepting a bribe of HK$40,000 from a friend and offering red packets to colleagues to assist an unqualified student with admission to a master’s programme under his administration. His friend was today (July 10) sentenced to 20 weeks’ imprisonment at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts after admitting bribery.
Priscilla Lam Pui-ling, 60, today pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage, contrary to section 4(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
In sentencing, Acting Principal Magistrate Ms May Chung Ming-sun reprimanded Lam for instigating the case, noting that the offence was serious and prolonged, damaging HKUST’s reputation.
The magistrate took a starting point of 33 weeks’ imprisonment and reduced Lam’s jail term to 20 weeks, considering her guilty plea and health condition. The magistrate also ordered Lam to pay HKUST a restitution of about HK$68,000.
Liu Hongbin, 64, then Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science at HKUST, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage and two counts of offering an advantage to a public servant. He was sentenced to 20 weeks’ imprisonment and ordered to pay HKUST a restitution of $40,000, equivalent to the amount of bribes involved in the case.
The offences occurred between March and May 2025. At the material time, Liu was the Programme Director of the Master of Science in Environmental Health and Safety Programme. He was responsible for reviewing applications for the master’s programme and interviewing applicants to determine admission.
Lam admitted that she had sought Liu’s assistance as a student wished to enroll in the master’s programme. Although the student did not meet the general admission requirements of the programme, Liu instructed a lecturer from the Department of Ocean Science to arrange an interview for him. During the interview, Liu further directed the lecturer not to make things difficult for the student and recommended his admission.
The court heard that Lam met with Liu three days before the interview and subsequently tipped off the student about the interview questions.
After the student received a conditional offer of admission from the Programme, Lam received a transfer of RMB100,000 from an associate of the student. She subsequently offered Liu a bribe of HK$40,000.
Liu subsequently offered red packets containing HK$5,000 and HK$1,000 respectively to the lecturer and a staff member responsible for admission matters. Both staff members refused to accept the red packets and reported the matter to HKUST. The student’s application was eventually unsuccessful.
The prosecution was today represented by Public Prosecutor Derrick Lee, assisted by ICAC officer John Tsoi.
An ICAC spokesperson noted that this case was exposed after two university staff members firmly refused to accept bribes. HKUST reported corruption and rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation. Integrity is a cornerstone of the education sector and is pivotal to developing Hong Kong into an international hub for higher education. The ICAC will continue to attach great importance to upholding integrity in the sector and will not tolerate any acts that undermine it. Tertiary education institutions (TEIs) are advised to refer to the Corruption Prevention Guide on Admission of Students for TEIs published by the ICAC to strengthen their corruption prevention safeguards and enhance the transparency of their student admission processes.
Priscilla Lam Pui-ling, 60, today pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage, contrary to section 4(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
In sentencing, Acting Principal Magistrate Ms May Chung Ming-sun reprimanded Lam for instigating the case, noting that the offence was serious and prolonged, damaging HKUST’s reputation.
The magistrate took a starting point of 33 weeks’ imprisonment and reduced Lam’s jail term to 20 weeks, considering her guilty plea and health condition. The magistrate also ordered Lam to pay HKUST a restitution of about HK$68,000.
Liu Hongbin, 64, then Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science at HKUST, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage and two counts of offering an advantage to a public servant. He was sentenced to 20 weeks’ imprisonment and ordered to pay HKUST a restitution of $40,000, equivalent to the amount of bribes involved in the case.
The offences occurred between March and May 2025. At the material time, Liu was the Programme Director of the Master of Science in Environmental Health and Safety Programme. He was responsible for reviewing applications for the master’s programme and interviewing applicants to determine admission.
Lam admitted that she had sought Liu’s assistance as a student wished to enroll in the master’s programme. Although the student did not meet the general admission requirements of the programme, Liu instructed a lecturer from the Department of Ocean Science to arrange an interview for him. During the interview, Liu further directed the lecturer not to make things difficult for the student and recommended his admission.
The court heard that Lam met with Liu three days before the interview and subsequently tipped off the student about the interview questions.
After the student received a conditional offer of admission from the Programme, Lam received a transfer of RMB100,000 from an associate of the student. She subsequently offered Liu a bribe of HK$40,000.
Liu subsequently offered red packets containing HK$5,000 and HK$1,000 respectively to the lecturer and a staff member responsible for admission matters. Both staff members refused to accept the red packets and reported the matter to HKUST. The student’s application was eventually unsuccessful.
The prosecution was today represented by Public Prosecutor Derrick Lee, assisted by ICAC officer John Tsoi.
An ICAC spokesperson noted that this case was exposed after two university staff members firmly refused to accept bribes. HKUST reported corruption and rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation. Integrity is a cornerstone of the education sector and is pivotal to developing Hong Kong into an international hub for higher education. The ICAC will continue to attach great importance to upholding integrity in the sector and will not tolerate any acts that undermine it. Tertiary education institutions (TEIs) are advised to refer to the Corruption Prevention Guide on Admission of Students for TEIs published by the ICAC to strengthen their corruption prevention safeguards and enhance the transparency of their student admission processes.