Three alleged middlemen in a Hong Kong bid-rigging syndicate offered HK$2 million (US$256,410) in bribes to an owners’ corporation chairman and member to secure a HK$20 million renovation tender for an ageing building, a court has heard.
The prosecution’s opening statement on Wednesday accused Chong Chun-to, 60, Lam Suet-pin, 53, and To Hon-sum, 47, of conspiring to offer bribes to two members of the owner’s corporation of Hing Tat Mansion in Kwun Tong during the bidding for major renovation works in 2022.
The corporation’s chairman Cheung Kin-wah, 55, and member Zhan Qingbo, 49, were also accused of conspiring with the men to influence owners to vote for companies affiliated with the syndicate.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has cracked down corruption crimes in relation to big-rigging in recent years, prosecuting 35 individuals and two companies.