Recent ICAC Cases
Three then bank employees were charged by the ICAC yesterday (July 29) for allegedly accepting bribes to assist customers referred by an insurance agent in opening bank accounts without joining the queue.
Chan Fu-kwan, 32; Mike Chan Wai-pak, 29; and Bernie Yau Kai-lung, 33, all then relationship managers of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), face a total of six bribery charges – five of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages and one of agent accepting advantages, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
The three defendants were released on bail while their case is scheduled for plea at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (July 31).
At the time of the offences, all three defendants worked at the same branch in Causeway Bay. Their duties included arranging colleagues tasked with processing bank account opening applications to serve customers queuing up at the branch. The trio were not authorised to handle account opening applications themselves.
The charges allege that in 2024, Chan Fu-kwan accepted bribes from an insurance agent, amounting to between $1,000 and $1,200 per customer referred, to facilitate the opening of bank accounts for those customers. It is also alleged that Chan Fu-kwan referred some customers to three HSBC relationship managers, including Mike Chan Wai-pak and Bernie Yau Kai-lung, for assistance in account opening, and offered bribes ranging from $300 to $500 per customer referred to them.
ICAC enquiries revealed that Chan Fu-kwan allegedly accepted over $35,000 in bribes to arrange for customers referred by the insurance agent to undergo bank account opening procedures without queueing up at the branch. He requested assistance from the trio including Mike Chan Wai-pak and Bernie Yau Kai-lung, when he could not handle those customers himself.
The ICAC investigation further revealed that in February 2026, Mike Chan Wai-pak allegedly placed bets totally over $120,000 with a bookmaker via an online platform. He was also charged yesterday with one count of betting with a bookmaker, contrary to section 8 of the Gambling Ordinance.
HSBC rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The ICAC cracked a corruption case in 2009, charging two members of a human smuggling syndicate and two former airline ground crew members who assisted in smuggling travellers to other countries via the Hong Kong International Airport. Another former airline ground crew member, who had been wanted by the ICAC, was charged upon returning to Hong Kong after fleeing over 15 years. He was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment at the District Court today (July 29) after entering a guilty plea.
Tsui Ying-kit, 45, former customer services officer of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Cathay Pacific), was arrested by the ICAC in August 2009 for his alleged involvement in a human smuggling bribery scam. A warrant for his arrest was subsequently issued by the magistrates’ courts after he failed to report bail to the ICAC. Upon returning to Hong Kong in July 2025, he was charged by the ICAC.
The defendant today pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
Deputy District Judge Mr Timothy Casewell imposed a jail term of 20 months on the defendant and ordered him to make restitution of $18,000, equivalent to the bribe amount involved, to Cathay Pacific.
The offences took place between September 2008 and August 2009. At the material time, the defendant was a customer services officer of Cathay Pacific tasked with carrying out check-in procedures for passengers at the Hong Kong International Airport.
The court heard that the defendant conspired with two other ground crew members of Cathay Pacific to assist passengers arranged by a human smuggling syndicate to check in for their flights. Through prior checking with Cathay Pacific’s computer system, the trio expedited the check-in procedures for these travellers, and alerted the syndicate to any security checks on them.
The ICAC investigation revealed that the defendant and the two ground crew members had issued boarding passes to the travellers arranged by the human smuggling syndicate. In return, the defendant accepted bribes ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 per traveller, totalling $18,000.
In May 2010, the ICAC charged two members of the human smuggling syndicate and two former ground crew members of Cathay Pacific. The four defendants, who pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages, were sentenced to jail terms of 14 to 20 months at the District Court in February 2011.
Cathay Pacific rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Timothy Chen, assisted by ICAC officer Edward Wong.
An asset management company owner was sentenced today (July 23) at the District Court to six years and nine months’ imprisonment for laundering approximately $64 million in crime proceeds through multiple companies and individuals, as revealed in an ICAC investigation stemming from a corruption complaint.
Xiao Rui, 37, owner of Augustine Holdings Limited (AHL), was earlier found guilty after trial of four counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence, contrary to section 25(1) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (commonly known as money laundering). He was also convicted of one count of using copies of false instruments, contrary to section 74 of the Crimes Ordinance.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Bernard Chung noted that this was a serious case warranting a deterrent sentence. He reprimanded the defendant for repeatedly engaging in cross-boundary money laundering activities involving a substantial sum over a long period, which tarnished Hong Kong’s image. The defendant also used false instruments to apply for entry into Hong Kong, constituting a serious fraudulent act.
The ICAC has earlier applied to the court for confiscation of the crime proceeds involved in this case, with the related hearing scheduled for October 7.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant and other individuals jointly set up AHL, an asset management company, along with three subsidiaries. Between March 2014 and November 2023, a total of 38 transactions amounting to over $64 million were deposited into the defendant’s personal bank accounts via at least 12 companies and 12 individuals, which had no business dealings with AHL and its subsidiaries and were not clients of the companies.
Additionally, in 2013, the defendant submitted copies of a false certificate of deposit and a false passbook to the Immigration Department for asset declaration in support of a Hong Kong residency application under the then Capital Investment Entrant Scheme.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Noelle Aileen Chit, assisted by ICAC officer Jeff Ng.
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.
One of the two property vendors, charged by the ICAC for offering a $30,000 bribe to an estate agent for waiving a $155,000 agency commission in relation to the sale of a residential property, was sentenced today (July 3) after entering a guilty plea at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts. The other vendor earlier also pleaded guilty to the charge.
Tse Wai-ling, 35, today pleaded guilty to one count of offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. She was sentenced by Principal Magistrate Mr Don So Man-lung to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for three years, and fined $5,000.
Leung Kee-ming, 48, was earlier sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for three years, and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to the above charge of offering an advantage to an agent.
The court heard that at the material time, Leung engaged Centaline Property Agency Limited (Centaline Property) to sell a residential flat on Lantau Island. According to the estate agency agreement signed with Centaline Property, Leung agreed to pay one per cent of the property transaction sum as agency commission to Centaline Property upon successful transaction.
After subsequently securing a potential buyer for the flat, an estate agent of Centaline Property informed Leung that an offer of $15.5 million had been made. Pursuant to the estate agency agreement, Leung was required to pay an agency commission of $155,000 to Centaline Property upon successful completion of the transaction. The estate agent subsequently arranged for the two vendors and the buyer to sign a preliminary sale and purchase agreement (the preliminary agreement) on December 24, 2023.
Tse admitted that she offered a bribe of $30,000 to the estate agent on December 23, 2023, one day before the scheduled signing of the preliminary agreement, to waive the agency commission to be charged by Centaline Property for the property transaction.
The estate agent rejected the bribe and reported the matter to Centaline Property on the same day. Centaline Property rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Gigi Ng.
