The anti-corruption watchdog has charged a 62-year-old carpenter foreman at Hong Kong’s airport expansion project over allegedly accepting HK$54,000 (US$7,000) in bribes from 10 imported workers to help them keep their jobs.
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Chen Xianliang, working for contractor Gammon Construction, is facing 10 counts of accepting an advantage, according to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
An investigation, which the ICAC launched after receiving complaints involving alleged wage exploitation, showed that Chen referred the 10 mainland Chinese workers to Gammon for the airport’s new three-runway system.
Upon the workers’ arrival in December 2023, Chen allegedly solicited bribes, each of which ranged from HK$4,800 to HK$5,400, on various occasions. Each worker received a monthly salary of more than HK$37,000.
Chen has been released on bail, pending his court appearance at the West Kowloon Court on Wednesday, where he is expected to enter a plea.