ICAC charges 80-year-old over HK$10,000 bribe bid
HK01 · 6 SOURCES1 day ago4 MIN
Summary
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has charged 80-year-old Fong Chin-chung (方展崇) with offering an advantage to a public servant after he allegedly tried to bribe Yau Tsim Mong District Councillor Lee Ka-hin (李家軒) with HK$10,000. The case centres on an alleged attempt to get Lee, acting in his official capacity, to direct his assistant to locate a church pastor and force a meeting linked to the defendant’s private affairs.
Key Points
- The ICAC said Fong, aged 80, was charged on October 7 with one count of offering an advantage to a public servant under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
- He was granted bail and is due to enter a plea at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on October 9.
- According to the ICAC, Fong first approached Lee in early July through the District Council’s Meet-the-Public Scheme before later visiting Lee’s district office.
- Investigators allege Fong asked that a folder be passed to Lee; it contained HK$10,000 in cash and a signed letter.
- The letter allegedly asked Lee to instruct his assistant to use coercive means to make a church pastor meet Fong, and Lee then reported the matter to the District Council.
Why It Matters
The prosecution will test how Hong Kong’s anti-bribery law applies when a resident allegedly tries to use cash to influence a district councillor’s official actions in handling a private dispute. For local readers, the next immediate development is the defendant’s court appearance on October 9, when the charge will be answered in open court.