appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

SCMP Reporter

Two businessmen who gave him the cash also receive the same sentence

A former director of BBC Worldwide who was paid #200,000 (HK$2.8 million) a year but took a $2.7 million bribe was jailed for 20 months yesterday.

Jeffrey Taylor, 43, was imprisoned alongside his bribers - Daniel Berman, 32, and his father-in-law Sydney Edels, 60 - who were each handed the same term, for what the sentencing judge described as 'corruption on a significant scale and on an international basis'.

Taylor also was ordered to pay his former employer, BBC Worldwide (BBCW), US$190,867 and #90,000 - the bribes he pocketed to show favour to Berman and Edels' firms.

Their companies acted as middlemen between BBCW and toy and merchandise manufacturers.

The trio pleaded guilty last Thursday to one joint charge of conspiracy to offer advantages to an agent, with Berman and Edels offering and Taylor accepting the bribes between July 1999 and October 2001.

'Although you have each been convicted on one charge only, this is offending that cannot be characterised as a one-off fall from grace,' Judge John Saunders said in the District Court.

'It was planned by you together, executed deliberately, and not upon impulse. It involved the establishment and use of bank accounts in three different jurisdictions, each far apart.

'It took place over a period of two years, during which time you must have had time to reflect upon your actions.'

British-based New Zealander Taylor, who had overall responsibility for BBCW's global marketing and brand development, took the bribes  to ensure that BBCW ordered toys and bags from five suppliers through Berman and Edels' companies, which were already the exclusive toy-sourcing partners of BBCW.

Hong Kong-based Berman and Briton Edels arranged for their toy-makers to inflate their invoices for BBCW's products by 5 per cent or more.

The toymakers then channelled the extra money - which totalled  $3,058,439.77 and US$437,337.98 - to three companies. From there, it was withdrawn in cash and paid to Berman or his wife, or remitted to various Swiss bank accounts of Berman, Edels and Taylor.

Taylor's bank account in New Zealand was used on two occasions.

'The devious manner in which the funds were passed through the accounts of unrelated companies and then concealed in Swiss and New Zealand bank accounts makes it abundantly clear that all three of you knew that you were acting corruptly and dishonestly,' Judge Saunders said.

He continued: 'By secretly paying part of the additional sums you received from the suppliers to a senior employee of BBCW you effectively bought Mr Taylor's loyalty and ensured a man in your corner should any issue arise in relation to the contract. That was a corrupt keeping-sweet [situation].'

Before yesterday's sentencing, Andrew Macrae SC, for Berman and Edels, said his clients were 'disturbed' by reports in the South China Morning Post and The Standard which the barrister said made him 'very angry'.

'The inference there is that the money that was used to pay Taylor was obtained by deception,' Mr Macrae said.

The barrister also complained of a report which said his clients 'falsely inflated' the invoices - again an implication of deception which did not form the basis of the case.

Paragraph three of the Post story on the case published on Friday should have read: 'BBCW was made to pay about $6.4 million too much for the manufacture and distribution of toys and bags based on the Tellytubbies and Tweenies characters.'



BBCW director jailed for 20 months over $2.7m bribes