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SCMP Reporter

'I love you,' son tells Housing Department official who accepted $3m in bribes

Canto-pop star Eason Chan Yick-shun whispered 'I love you' to his father in an emotional courtroom farewell yesterday after the public servant was convicted of accepting $3 million in bribes.

Chan Kau-tai, 58, a chief government building services engineer, was found guilty of 10 charges of accepting an advantage as a civil servant between April 1, 1999, and August 2, 2001. He now faces a prison sentence and the loss of his $6 million pension.

He was cleared of a further four bribery charges. He was earlier cleared of another bribery charge and one of misconduct in public office.

Chan looked calm and expressionless as the Court of First Instance jury returned the verdicts after three days and two nights of deliberation.

Chan has been remanded in Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre since Wednesday.

Eason Chan, accompanied by his actress girlfriend, Hilary Tsui Ho-ying, made a dramatic last-minute appearance in the packed court to bid his father farewell.

The red-eyed and anxious-looking Canto-pop star gave his father the thumbs-up and whispered 'I love you', before Chan was led from the dock.

Prosecutor John McNamara told the court the bribes were received from contractors and material suppliers conducting business with the Housing Authority and Housing Department.

Mr McNamara described Chan as 'an extremely corrupt public servant'.

On one occasion, Chan accepted $1.5 million from contractor Lai Sai-sang as a reward for assisting  Tridant Engineering Company win a contract at the Upper Wong Tai Sin Estate redevelopment project.

Chan also accepted $200,000 in bribes from a friend, Kwok Shu-wah, for helping Mr Kwok's son, William Kwok Wai-yuen, apply for a job as an engineer with the Civil Engineering Department.

The court was shown video footage of Chan counting wads of banknotes in his Housing Department office.

The footage was obtained by the Independent Commission Against Corruption after a surveillance camera was installed in the ceiling of Chan's Ho Man Tin office between March and August 2001.

Chan's defence was that he had falsely admitted accepting bribes in the third recorded video interview with the ICAC in return for the anti-graft body not arresting Eason.

His barrister, Graham Harris, urged judge Pang Kin-kee to call for background reports and the defence would prepare an updated medical report on Chan's liver disease. Mr Harris said Chan would lose his $6 million pension.

Mr Justice Pang adjourned sentencing until January 5.



Emotional farewell after Eason Chan's father convicted of graft