Four face bill of $6.7m for piling scam

Four co-conspirators convicted of involvement in a scam to build and cover up substandard foundations for an airport railway project may be liable to pay $6.7 million for the costs of the ICAC investigation and the trial.

Prosecutor Kevin Zervos applied at the District Court yesterday for the costs of the almost year-long Independent Commission Against Corruption probe and three-month trial to be paid by the four defendants.

Former engineer Kwok Chi-hung, 24, former foreman So Bor-shun, 41, transport firm director Shek Kwok-wing, 52, and former construction firm superintendent Ng Chun-hing, 42, had denied charges of conspiracy to defraud and bribery.

The four were convicted on Thursday of conspiring to build substandard foundations at the Hong Kong Station development northern site in November 1997.

Mr Zervos put the costs of the ICAC probe at $5 million. The legal costs incurred had totalled $1.7 million.

He said the costs would be attributed to the defendants according to their means.