Ex-electrician charged with bribery over employment of fellow workers
2020-1-8
A former electrician of a construction company has been charged by the ICAC today (January 8) with accepting and soliciting illegal rebates totalling over $113,000 from three fellow electricians for securing their employment with the company.
Wong Ka-wah, 45, former electrician of China Overseas (Hong Kong) Limited (China Overseas HK) faces 15 charges – 11 of agent accepting an advantage and three of soliciting an advantage as an agent, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and one of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law.
The defendant will appear at the Tuen Mun Magistracy next Monday (January 13) for plea.
At the material time, a subsidiary of China Overseas HK was engaged by the Airport Authority Hong Kong in a foundation construction project at Hong Kong International Airport. The defendant was an electrician of China Overseas HK deployed to conduct electrical cabling works for the project.
Eleven of the bribery charges allege that between May 8 and December 9, 2017, the defendant, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, accepted rebates totalling about $62,000 and $41,500 from two electricians as an inducement to or reward for securing their employment with China Overseas HK.
Another bribery charge alleges that on December 7, 2017, the defendant solicited $9,900 from one of the abovementioned electricians for the same purpose.
The conspiracy charge alleges that between August 1 and September 7, 2017, the defendant conspired with the abovementioned electrician and a person unknown to defraud China Overseas HK by dishonestly falsely representing in the attendance records that the electrician had performed duties on four Sundays in August 2017, and causing the company to overpay wages totalling $4,800 to that electrician.
The remaining two bribery charges allege that the defendant, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, solicited $350 per working day from a third electrician on April 1 and May 7, 2017 respectively as an inducement to or reward for securing his employment with China Overseas HK.
China Overseas HK has rendered assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance next Monday.
Wong Ka-wah, 45, former electrician of China Overseas (Hong Kong) Limited (China Overseas HK) faces 15 charges – 11 of agent accepting an advantage and three of soliciting an advantage as an agent, contrary to Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and one of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law.
The defendant will appear at the Tuen Mun Magistracy next Monday (January 13) for plea.
At the material time, a subsidiary of China Overseas HK was engaged by the Airport Authority Hong Kong in a foundation construction project at Hong Kong International Airport. The defendant was an electrician of China Overseas HK deployed to conduct electrical cabling works for the project.
Eleven of the bribery charges allege that between May 8 and December 9, 2017, the defendant, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, accepted rebates totalling about $62,000 and $41,500 from two electricians as an inducement to or reward for securing their employment with China Overseas HK.
Another bribery charge alleges that on December 7, 2017, the defendant solicited $9,900 from one of the abovementioned electricians for the same purpose.
The conspiracy charge alleges that between August 1 and September 7, 2017, the defendant conspired with the abovementioned electrician and a person unknown to defraud China Overseas HK by dishonestly falsely representing in the attendance records that the electrician had performed duties on four Sundays in August 2017, and causing the company to overpay wages totalling $4,800 to that electrician.
The remaining two bribery charges allege that the defendant, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, solicited $350 per working day from a third electrician on April 1 and May 7, 2017 respectively as an inducement to or reward for securing his employment with China Overseas HK.
China Overseas HK has rendered assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance next Monday.