Hong Kong Airport Authority executive, subcontractor charged in HK$3.8 million bribes case related to contracts for third runway
- Independent Commission Against Corruption lays charges against Airport Authority principal manager Ricky Lee, 47, and Carol Engineering boss Ng Kai-on, 65
- ICAC says its investigation concerned awarding of works and material supplies contracts, as well as administrative and financial matters
Hong Kong’s anti-graft agency has charged a senior executive at the city’s Airport Authority and a subcontractor for allegedly accepting and offering bribes totalling about HK$3.8 million (US$484,000) in relation to the third-runway mega project.
The pair were among 30 people rounded up in an operation code-named “Blizzard” that took place on Wednesday and Thursday.
The anti-corruption agency laid charges against Lee and Ng on Thursday night after seeking legal advice from the Department of Justice.
Lee faced two counts of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage at Eastern Court in Sai Wan Ho on Friday morning. Ng faced one count of offering an advantage to a public servant.
Prosecutors applied for a 20-week adjournment until January next year to allow time for further investigations and seeking legal advice. The two defendants have each been released on bail of HK$500,000, on condition they remain in Hong Kong, surrender all travel documents and report to police once every two weeks.
Lee joined the Airport Authority as a senior project engineer in 2017 and was promoted to principal manager in May this year. At the time of the alleged offences, he was responsible for supervising various contracts of the mega project.
The alleged offences took place between October 25, 2018 and June 7 this year.
One of the charges alleges that Lee conspired with Ng and/or other unknown people to accept bribes totalling about HK$2.4 million as “an inducement to or reward for being or remaining favourably disposed to Ng or Carol Engineering”, according to the ICAC.
Another charge alleges that Ng offered bribes totalling HK$500,000 to Lee for the same purpose without authority or reasonable excuse.
Lee was also accused of conspiring with an operator of another project subcontractor to accept bribes totalling about HK$900,000 as inducements or rewards for helping to secure supplies contracts of sand or other filling materials from the main contractor(s) in respect of the main reclamation works and assisting to expedite the release of work payments by the main contractor(s).
The ICAC probe arose from a corruption complaint and it said the authority had rendered full assistance during its investigation.
An ICAC spokesman said the investigation concerned the awarding of works and material supplies contracts, as well as administrative and financial matters. The inquiries did not reveal any issues involving the quality of works or material specifications, he added.
According to the authority, the scale of the three-runway system project is almost equivalent to building a new airport next to the existing one.
The HK$141 billion mega project reclaimed around 650 hectares (1,606 acres) of land north of the existing airport island and expanded Terminal 2 to provide a range of passenger services, including arrivals and departures facilities.
The new runway has been open to aircraft for “operation familiarisation” and is expected to be in full service in 2024.
Additional reporting by Brian Wong
