Ex-director, businessman cleared in HK$6 million kickback case
On.cc · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A former sales director of Hong Kong Advanced Limited, formerly Advanced Pacific (Hong Kong) Limited, and a businessman were acquitted on Thursday in the District Court over an alleged kickback arrangement tied to the appointment of a distributor for electronic assembly instruments . The prosecution alleged the pair conspired with shareholders of Shenzhen Chaoguang Technology Co., Ltd. to channel bribes worth more than HK$6 million in return for helping the company become a distributor . Acting District Judge Cheng Nim-chi held that the message records were highly suspicious, but they did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that a conspiracy agreement had been reached . The court also found no direct evidence that the defendants had actually received kickbacks from the technology company .
Key Points
- The two defendants were Lau Wai-leung, 50, a former sales director at Hong Kong Advanced Limited, and businessman Wong Yuk-yan, 47 .
- They were jointly charged with one count of conspiracy for an agent to accept an advantage, and both denied the allegation at trial .
- The case concerned the period from January 2019 to January 2023, when Lau handled product sales and distributor matters before leaving the company in January 2023 .
- Prosecutors said Wong acted as an intermediary, while Lau allegedly agreed through him to accept bribes equal to 20% of Chaoguang's sales profits .
- Investigators said Chaoguang sold more than 1,000 electronic assembly instruments after being chosen as a distributor, with alleged kickbacks exceeding HK$6 million .
Why It Matters
The ruling underlines that suspicious communications and unexplained circumstances may raise serious concerns, but criminal convictions still require proof of an actual corrupt agreement and receipt of benefits . For Hong Kong readers, the case also shows how distributor selection in cross-border technology and semiconductor supply chains can come under close anti-corruption scrutiny .