Director gets 200 hours for HKTDC tender leak case
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCES1 day ago5 MIN
Summary
A 41-year-old director and shareholder of AF Trinity Technologies Limited was sentenced at Eastern Court on October 14 to 200 hours of community service after being convicted of inciting a former Hong Kong Trade Development Council assistant manager to commit misconduct in public office. The offence related to the leaking of confidential tender information between December 20, 2018 and March 28, 2019, during bidding for an e-Marketplace website enhancement project worth more than HK$2.3 million. Magistrate Lam Tsz-hong said the defendant was a first offender, the case did not involve bribery or kickbacks, and the company was not wholly unqualified for the project. The former HKTDC assistant manager, Leung Shui-ying, had earlier pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Key Points
- The defendant, Chow Hang-yip (周恒業), was convicted after trial of aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring misconduct in public office by Leung Shui-ying.
- Prosecutors said Leung leaked confidential tender details, including assessment criteria and other bid contents, to help ATTL win the contract.
- The HKTDC project concerned optimisation of its e-Marketplace online trading platform, and four service providers were invited to bid.
- Leung also helped draft ATTL's technical proposal, prepared its oral presentation, and concealed planned subcontracting despite a contract term barring subcontracting.
- In mitigation, defence counsel said Chow had a positive community service report, had worked in web design since 2006, and founded his business in 2015.
Why It Matters
The case underlines how procurement integrity can be compromised even without allegations of bribery, when insiders disclose confidential evaluation material to bidders. For Hong Kong readers, it is also a reminder that courts may weigh personal background, delay, and the practical impact on a project when deciding whether punishment should be custodial or community-based.