Society

Four jailed for bribery over mainland visitors

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-02-23 22:25

HONG KONG - Two former employees of an airline company and two other persons, charged by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), were sent to jail at the District Court on Wednesday for their involvement in a bribery scam to facilitate the Chinese mainland travelers' check-in to sneak overseas via the HK airport.

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According to an ICAC's statement, Gordon Ng Ka-wah, 31, a former customer services officer of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Cathay Pacific), received a jail term of 20 months, while Tan Wei- menn, 46, another former customer services officer of the airline company, was jailed for 16 months.

Co-defendants Patrick Cheung Chun-wah, 47, and Thomas Chan Kin- hung, 63, both unemployed, were each sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment.

Ng and Tan were also ordered to respectively pay 15,000 and HK$ 16, 000 in restitution to the government, while Cheung and Chan were required to pay HK$20,000? and HK$9,000? in restitution respectively.

The court heard that at the time of the offences, Ng, Tan and Tsui Ying-kit were employed by Cathay Pacific as customer services officers. Cheung and Chan were escorts engaged by syndicates arranging travelers from the Chinese mainland to board on the flights for destinations in the United States or other European countries.

Between December 2008 and August 2009, Ng, Tan and Tsui had assisted the syndicates in carrying out check-in procedures for mainland travelers arranged by them, Cheung, Chan or their associates.

In return, Ng, Tan or Tsui accepted a bribe of HK$500 or 600? for each boarding pass issued to a mainland traveler. As a result, Ng and Tan had accepted bribes totalling HK$15,000 and 16,000 respectively, while Cheung and Chan respectively earned HK$20,000 and 9,000 .

Tsui Ying-kit, 30, who absconded from bail on Oct 23, 2009, was wanted by the ICAC for his alleged role in the above case.

Meanwhile, So Shui-wang, 46, unemployed, was also wanted by the ICAC for allegedly offering bribes to officers of the Immigration Department and employees of airline companies to facilitate a syndicate in sneaking mainlanders from China to overseas countries via Hong Kong.