Updated at 7.07pm: The jail sentences of two men convicted of defrauding housing authorities in order to use short piles in a Tin Shui Wai project were reduced on Thursday after a re-trial.
Wong Shun-wah, 42, a quality-control engineer employed by B+B Construction, and To Man-kum, 37, an assistant works clerk employed by Hsin Yieh Architects and Associates, had been accused of conspiring to allow substandard concrete piles to be installed in buildings at Tin Chung Court, Tin Shui Wai.
It was later found the pile foundations of two buildings at the estate were shorter than required by safety standards.
Wong and To were originally sentenced by the Court of First Instance in 2003 to seven years jail for conspiracy to defraud.
They later appealed against the verdict, and the Court of Final Appeal ordered a re-trial on grounds the original trial judge had misled the jury on certain points.
After re-trial at the Court of First Instance on Thursday, their terms were reduced to four years and eight months each. The pair pleaded guilty to the charge, Ming Pao Daily reported.