A then Assistant General Manager of the Hongkong Post (HKPost), charged by the ICAC, was sentenced at the District Court today (January 5) after being convicted of misconduct in public office (MIPO) for concealing his conflicting interest when handling the tendering exercise of an online platform redevelopment project worth about $4.2 million which was subsequently awarded to a contractor operated by his cousin and cousin in-law.

The ICAC had earlier charged a property buyer with fraud after its corruption investigation revealed that the buyer had allegedly induced a bank not to demand repayment of a mortgage loan of over $8 million granted with a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 80 per cent for meeting the owner-occupied requirement by concealing that the property was leased out. Upon further legal advice from the Department of Justice, the buyer’s son was charged yesterday (December 27).

In the course of ICAC’s investigation into corruption cases in respect of sub-contracts of the Three-Runway System Project (3RS Project) of the Hong Kong International Airport, it was revealed that a reclamation sand supplier had been allegedly involved in bribery and other offences. One of the operators of the supplier was jailed for 14 months after admitting at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (December 27) that he had stolen $350,000 from the company.

A then councillor assistant, charged by the ICAC, was today (December 27) sentenced to four months’ imprisonment at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts for accepting bribes for assisting a singing club in various applications for the use of community halls, community centres and facilities (the facilities) in Yuen Long, and deceiving the Home Affairs Department (HAD) into granting fee exemptions to the club.

An ICAC corruption investigation earlier revealed that four people had conspired with others to deceive Japanese investors into investing over JPY400 million (about HK$28.4 million) in a number of companies which claimed to take part in investment projects in Africa by falsely representing that those companies’ bank accounts held asset totalling over HK$37 billion, and by using false bank documents. Two of the former bank managers, charged by the Commission, today (December 21) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud at the District Court.

In the course of a corruption investigation by the ICAC, it was revealed that two insurance agents had recruited another person to pose as dummy insurance agent to obtain commissions and bonuses totalling over $270,000 by making false representations that the latter had handled three insurance policies and collected most of the sum from the latter. The duo were today (December 19) each sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts after being convicted of conspiracy to launder crime proceeds.

A woman, charged by the ICAC, today (December 19) admitted at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts that she had disclosed the identity of a person under ICAC investigation.

A director of a shipping consultancy firm was charged by the ICAC today (December 18) for allegedly bribing a then senior executive of a financial company for engaging the director’s firm as the consultant of an iron ore shipping project which involved consultancy fees totalling over US$46.3 million. A director of another company, who allegedly handled part of the bribes, was also charged today for laundering crime proceeds of US$2.7 million.

Around 300 ICAC officers and guests today (December 16) demonstrated their perseverance and determination in the ICAC’s “Fighting Corruption: The Mission Continues” Kick-off Run at the Peak, raising the curtain for the Commission’s 50th anniversary celebration next year.

A Resident Doctor of a public hospital, who was charged by the ICAC with fraud revealed in the course of a corruption investigation, today (December 15) admitted at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts that he had deceived the Hospital Authority (HA) into paying him special honorarium of over $110,000 by making false representations about his extra services performed on various occasions at another public hospital.