Elderly man charged with bribing Hong Kong district councillor HK$10,000
An 80-year-old man has been charged by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption for allegedly offering a HK$10,000 bribe to Yau Tsim Mong district councillor Li Ka-hin to coerce a pastor into meeting him. Li rejected the bribe and reported the incident.
Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has charged an 80-year-old man with offering a HK$10,000 bribe to a Yau Tsim Mong district councillor. The defendant allegedly attempted to induce councillor Li Ka-hin to use his official position to threaten a church pastor into meeting him over a personal matter.
Li rejected the bribe and reported the incident to the district council. The ICAC laid a charge of offering an advantage to a public servant on Wednesday. The defendant has been granted bail and is scheduled to appear in the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on Thursday for plea.
The incident occurred in early July when the defendant sought help from Li through the district council's 'Meet-the-Public Scheme'. He later visited Li's constituency office and asked for a folder to be passed to the councillor. The folder contained HK$10,000 in cash and a signed letter from the defendant, requesting that Li instruct his assistant to use coercive means to arrange a meeting between the defendant and the pastor.
Li immediately reported the matter to the district council. The ICAC subsequently received a referral and launched an investigation, leading to the charge.