Secretarial company proprietor charged by ICAC gets six months’ jail for bribing bank employee over accounts opening

A proprietor of a secretarial company, charged by the ICAC, was today (July 15) sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts for offering a bribe of $6,800 to a bank employee for assisting clients referred by her in opening bank accounts.

Gu Qian, 39, was sentenced by Principal Magistrate Mr Don So Man-lung to six months’ imprisonment, and fined $2,000. She earlier pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

At the material time, the defendant was the proprietor of a secretarial company. Between late May and late October 2025, she referred several clients to an assistant customer service manager at a branch of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) in Tsim Sha Tsui. Eight of these clients successfully opened bank accounts with BOCHK.

On October 27, 2025, the defendant offered a bribe of $6,800 to the bank employee for assisting clients referred by her in opening bank accounts. The bank employee refused to accept the bribe and reported the incident to BOCHK.

Upon receipt of a corruption complaint, the ICAC launched an investigation, during which BOCHK rendered full assistance. The bank accounts successfully opened in this case fulfilled the bank’s due diligence requirements.

The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Flora Wong.