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SCMP Reporter

AN immigration inspector was jailed for four years yesterday after the District Court rejected his claim that he was a spy and had only pretended to be corrupt in order to unmask unscrupulous staff members in the United States consulate.

  William Yeung Chung-wai, 42, testified he solicited bribes as part of an undercover investigation code-named Operation Iceberg.

  The real Operation Iceberg was carried out in conjunction with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and was meant to be a secret limited to four people in the consulate.

   But Deputy Judge Line said word of the ICAC investigation leaked out, and Yeung seized upon it in a vain attempt to prop up his story.

  Yeung was found guilty of soliciting an advantage as an agent, and accepting an advantage as an agent.

  The deputy judge said he had 'no hesitation' in rejecting Yeung's excuse.

  'The taped conversations [with bribery victims] show a man squeezing a bribe from others,' he said.

  'They do not show him seeking to investigate others.'   Yeung solicited bribes from his victims by telling them their visa applications were fraught with problems and they would not receive visas unless they met his cash demands.

   Demands ranged from US$2,000 (HK$15,440) to US$5,000, and totalled US$29,000.

  In spring 1992, Yeung telephoned visa applicant Chan Wai-ki and told him that US$4,000 would ensure the success of his application.

  About a month later, another applicant, Lau Chi-keung, also received a call from Yeung.

   The immigration investigator told Mr Lau a 'gweilo' superior was demanding US$4,000 to expedite his visa application.

  The pattern continued throughout the summer.

  But unbeknown to Yeung, he was being monitored by the ICAC and one applicant had negotiated a bribe payment schedule with him while wearing a hidden microphone.

  Defence counsel Rickie Chan said in mitigation Yeung had enjoyed a clear record and spotless reputation, adding the crime had been hanging over Yeung's head for more than two years.

  But Deputy Judge Line said that Yeung had caused the delay by pleading not guilty in a case 'doomed to fail'.

  He added the crimes were a perfect example of greed exploiting vulnerability. 'You used your position as an official to extract money from applicants who sought a new life in America,' he told Yeung.

   'They were ordinary people, cooks and such, for whom the sum of money was substantial.'   Deputy Judge Line ordered Yeung to return the US$4,000 he had extracted from one victim and pay HK$50,000 towards court costs.



Immigration inspector gets four years' jail