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Two ex-directors of
Hui Hon had assigned a site agent to
monitor the Yuen Chau Kok piling works. He was responsible
for submitting reports to HD about construction methods,
implementation plans, proposed pile lengths and actual
pile lengths after installation. This man was an employee
of Hui Hon who had previously worked on other piling projects
for the company.
The site agent
had three subordinates: a foreman ,
a site foreman
and an assistant engineer ,
all of whom were employees of Hui Hon. The assistant engineer
was later transferred from the Yuen Chau Kok site to another
construction site, and the vacancy was filled by an engineer
who had only just graduated.
In early September 1998, Hui Hon claimed that the piling
works for two of the buildings at Yuen Chau Kok had been
completed. Between March and September 1998, Zen Pacific
had paid $17 million to Hui Hon in project fees. Since
it was clear that Hui Hon would not be able to complete
the remaining works on schedule, Zen Pacific took over
the work on 23 September 1998 but continued to employ
the very same Hui Hon construction team to carry out the
piling works for the remaining three buildings.
On 19 December 1998, within nine months after Hui Hon
had commenced the works and Zen Pacific had taken them
over, Zen Pacific informed HD that the piling works for
all five buildings were complete. Three days later, another
contractor started the construction of superstructure
on top of the piled foundation. HD paid Zen Pacific $57
million as the project cost.
Even when the superstructure of the two buildings had
each reached more than 30 storeys in height, no one had
discovered the buildings were resting on noncompliant
piling. The material evidence had been well and truly
buried.
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