Subcontractor jailed 12 months for bribing engineer over HK$91m contracts
A 59-year-old subcontractor was sentenced to 12 months in prison for bribing a former senior engineer of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. The bribes aimed to secure favourable treatment for contracts worth about HK$91.4 million.
A 59-year-old subcontractor was sentenced to 12 months in prison by the Eastern Magistrates' Court for offering a bribe to a public servant. The case stemmed from an earlier corruption investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) involving small-works contracts awarded by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD).
The defendant, a director and shareholder of three subcontracting firms, was convicted after trial of one count of offering an advantage to a public servant. The court heard that he had developed a close relationship with a then-senior building services engineer at EMSD through work, leading to regular lunch meetings and multiple trips to mainland China and overseas.
Between October 2016 and April 2018, two main contractors were awarded two small-works contracts totalling about HK$91.4 million by the relevant authorities. These contracts were subsequently subcontracted to the defendant's three companies. In January 2019, the subcontractor provided a cash bribe of HK$40,000 to the senior engineer as a reward for preferential treatment towards his firms.
The ICAC initiated its investigation after receiving a corruption complaint involving EMSD's small-works contracts. The former senior engineer had earlier been convicted and sentenced to five years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of possessing unexplained wealth disproportionate to his known income.