A 59-year-old subcontractor company director was convicted on 23 October of offering HK$40,000 to a senior building services engineer at the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. He denied the charge, which alleged the payment was intended to induce or reward the engineer for favouring companies in government small-works matters.
In explaining the verdict, the magistrate said the engineer was not a decision-maker on small-works tenders, but had a role in supervising and reviewing contracts. The two men had known each other for years, and WhatsApp records showed them discussing contract information and documents during two government small-works tenders.
Evidence recounted in court showed that on 17 January 2019, the director withdrew HK$40,000 from a bank and met the engineer for lunch within half an hour. On 28 February, investigators found HK$40,000 in cash in the engineer’s office. The elastic band around the notes carried the director’s DNA; the magistrate cited a laboratory report that excluded secondary transfer.
The magistrate considered the DNA evidence, the men’s business interests and their discussions about tenders, and found that obtaining preferential treatment or maintaining a favourable relationship was the only reasonable explanation for the payment.
Sentencing was adjourned to 6 November for a background report, and the director was released on bail.