EMSD subcontractor jailed over HK$40,000 bribe
SingTao · 6 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A 59-year-old subcontractor, Chan Tsz-wing (陳子榮), was sentenced at Eastern Magistrates' Courts on 6 November to 12 months' imprisonment after being convicted of offering HK$40,000 to a former senior engineer of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, or EMSD. The court heard the bribe was tied to preferential treatment connected with two small works contracts worth about HK$91.4 million that were ultimately subcontracted to three companies in which Chan was a director and shareholder. Magistrate Chu Man-hon said the offence damaged the integrity of public officers and public confidence, and found imprisonment unavoidable.
Key Points
- Chan, 59, was convicted after trial of one count of offering an advantage to a public servant, contrary to section 4(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
- The recipient was former EMSD Senior Building Services Engineer Tse Sing-tak, who handled tendering and operation matters in the department's Municipal Services Division small works section.
- Between October 2016 and April 2018, the section awarded two small works contracts worth about HK$91.4 million to two main contractors.
- Those contracts were later subcontracted to Maya Engineering Limited, Wang Chun Engineering Limited and Sam Wo Engineering Consultant Limited, where Chan was a director and shareholder.
- ICAC investigators found a document bag and HK$40,000 cash in Tse's office after his 2019 arrest, while bank records showed Chan withdrew HK$40,000 that day
Why It Matters
The case underlines how even a relatively modest cash bribe can attract immediate jail when it is linked to public works and official discretion. For Hong Kong readers, the ruling reinforces the courts' emphasis on deterrence in corruption cases involving government contracts and the protection of confidence in public administration.