Ex-taipan accused of Jockey Club scam
John Hung, 3 others to appear in court today
The former taipan of one of Hong Kong's most prominent companies is among four people arrested and charged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over alleged bribery and deception in relation to applications for membership of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
John Terence Hung, 70, an honorary voting member of the club who retired in 2002 as managing director of Wheelock and Company and executive director of Wharf (Holdings), would appear in Eastern Court this morning with three other defendants, an ICAC statement issued yesterday said.
A holder of the Silver Bauhinia Star, Hung is a descendant of M. C. Hung, the last comprador of Jardine's, the former British hong, or trading company. He had a 34-year career with Wharf and Wheelock, running several subsidiaries before taking over the top job.
In three charges under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, Hung is accused of soliciting one loan of HK$200,000 and accepting two others of HK$100,000 each in return for proposing 'a person' for full membership of the club and 'assisting in the expeditious processing of her application'. The ICAC's statement did not further identify the person Hung allegedly proposed for membership.
In separate cases, Wong Tak-kin, 44, a merchant, and Jonathan Ng Tai-sing, 39, an accountant, are charged with offering advantages, and Lau Pui-fai, 49, a sales manager, is charged with obtaining services by deception, according to the ICAC.
All four are on ICAC bail.
Among his positions, Hung ran the Star Ferry and Hong Kong Tramways transport companies, the Marco Polo hotel group and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel and Cable Television businesses. Awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star in 1999, Hung was chairman of the Sports Development Board until 2003.
One of the charges alleges that Hung, a voting member of the Jockey Club, solicited the HK$200,000 loan in October 2006 from a middleman. The other two charges allege that he accepted two other loans of HK$100,000 each between November and December 2006 from the middleman.
In two charges, Wong is alleged to have offered HK$50,000 and HK$200,000, in whole or in part, in June and September 2006, to a steward or a voting member of the Jockey Club as rewards for assisting or expediting his membership application.
Ng is alleged to have offered HK$360,000, in whole or in part, to a voting member or voting members of the Jockey Club in October 2006 as a reward for assisting or supporting his application to be a racing member of the club.
The last charge alleges that in April 2006, Lau dishonestly obtained the services of membership from the club by falsely representing that the information in his application form for racing membership was true.
The ICAC said the club had given the investigation its full assistance.
The club said in a statement that it would not comment on the case, but that it would work closely with the ICAC.
It said it believed the matter had no effect on its integrity and all membership 'must and will continue to undergo stringent review'.
The club has about 12,500 full members and 5,000 racing members.
New applicants must be proposed by one of the 200 voting members, and seconded by another. The application then goes through a security check and the process usually takes 18 months to two years.
Full members have to pay a one-off entrance fee of HK$250,000 and a monthly subscription of HK$1,300.
For a racing member the entrance fee is HK$68,000 and the monthly subscription HK$650.
