Chef jailed for accepting illegal rebates over food orders
2018-3-19
A chef of a Chinese restaurant, charged by the ICAC, was today (March 19) sentenced to three months’ imprisonment at the Tuen Mun Magistracy for conspiring to accept illegal rebates totalling over $8,700 in relation to placing orders of food items.
Wan Fook-ming, 47, dim sum chef of East Harbour Seafood & Hot Pot Restaurant (East Harbour), earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
In sentencing, Magistrate Ms Kelly Shui said she had to mete out a deterrent custodial sentence to the defendant so as to curb corruption.
The magistrate also said she reduced the starting point of six months in jail to three months after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was a chef of the dim sum section of East Harbour, a Chinese restaurant in Wong Tai Sin.
A representative of a food company, which supplied dim sum ingredients to East Harbour, called the defendant to tell him that rebates could be offered to him.
Between December 1, 2015 and November 30, 2016, the defendant accepted rebates totalling about $8,730 from the representative of the food company as rewards for placing orders of food items with it. East Harbour did not know the defendant accepted the illegal rebates from the food company, the court was told.
East Harbour had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Henry Cheung.
Wan Fook-ming, 47, dim sum chef of East Harbour Seafood & Hot Pot Restaurant (East Harbour), earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
In sentencing, Magistrate Ms Kelly Shui said she had to mete out a deterrent custodial sentence to the defendant so as to curb corruption.
The magistrate also said she reduced the starting point of six months in jail to three months after taking into account the defendant’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was a chef of the dim sum section of East Harbour, a Chinese restaurant in Wong Tai Sin.
A representative of a food company, which supplied dim sum ingredients to East Harbour, called the defendant to tell him that rebates could be offered to him.
Between December 1, 2015 and November 30, 2016, the defendant accepted rebates totalling about $8,730 from the representative of the food company as rewards for placing orders of food items with it. East Harbour did not know the defendant accepted the illegal rebates from the food company, the court was told.
East Harbour had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Henry Cheung.