Seven months' jail for accepting $90,000 illegal rebates over food orders
2018-3-14
Two chefs of two Chinese restaurants, charged by the ICAC, were today (March 14) each sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment at the Tuen Mun Magistracy for conspiring to accept illegal rebates totalling about $90,000 in relation to placing orders of food items.
The defendants were Ho Yuk-hang, 39, dim sum supervisor of Sun Ming Yuen Banquet Hall (Sun Ming Yuen); and Yuen Chi-hang, 48, supervisor of dim sum section of Golden Diamond Chinese Cuisine (Golden Diamond).
In sentencing, Magistrate Ms Kelly Shui said acceptance of illegal rebates should not be tolerated in a civilised society. But she reduced the jail terms to seven months from the starting point of 12 months after taking into account the defendants’ guilty pleas and other mitigating factors.
Ho earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO) and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance, while Yuen admitted a similar offence.
The court heard that at the material time, Ho was the supervisor of the dim sum section of Sun Ming Yuen, a Chinese restaurant in Yuen Long. Yuen was the supervisor of the dim sum section of Golden Diamond, another Chinese restaurant in North Point.
In about April 2016, a colleague of Ho found that Ho had ordered unnecessary food items with an authorised food supplier. Upon enquiry, Ho told his colleague that he had accepted illegal rebates from some food suppliers.
Between April 1 and December 4, 2016, Ho accepted illegal rebates totalling over $60,000 from the abovementioned and three other authorised food suppliers as rewards for placing orders with those food suppliers.
The court also heard that Yuen joined Golden Diamond in 2015. Between January 1 and November 30, 2016, Yuen accepted a total of about $28,950 from a representative of the abovementioned food supplier as rewards for placing orders.
Sun Ming Yuen and Golden Diamond have rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Henry Cheung.
The defendants were Ho Yuk-hang, 39, dim sum supervisor of Sun Ming Yuen Banquet Hall (Sun Ming Yuen); and Yuen Chi-hang, 48, supervisor of dim sum section of Golden Diamond Chinese Cuisine (Golden Diamond).
In sentencing, Magistrate Ms Kelly Shui said acceptance of illegal rebates should not be tolerated in a civilised society. But she reduced the jail terms to seven months from the starting point of 12 months after taking into account the defendants’ guilty pleas and other mitigating factors.
Ho earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO) and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance, while Yuen admitted a similar offence.
The court heard that at the material time, Ho was the supervisor of the dim sum section of Sun Ming Yuen, a Chinese restaurant in Yuen Long. Yuen was the supervisor of the dim sum section of Golden Diamond, another Chinese restaurant in North Point.
In about April 2016, a colleague of Ho found that Ho had ordered unnecessary food items with an authorised food supplier. Upon enquiry, Ho told his colleague that he had accepted illegal rebates from some food suppliers.
Between April 1 and December 4, 2016, Ho accepted illegal rebates totalling over $60,000 from the abovementioned and three other authorised food suppliers as rewards for placing orders with those food suppliers.
The court also heard that Yuen joined Golden Diamond in 2015. Between January 1 and November 30, 2016, Yuen accepted a total of about $28,950 from a representative of the abovementioned food supplier as rewards for placing orders.
Sun Ming Yuen and Golden Diamond have rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Henry Cheung.