CUSTOMS and immigration officers at Kai Tak airport yesterday denied conspiring to smuggle passengers for cash rewards.
Four airport officers and an unemployed man pleaded not guilty to a total of 34 charges relating to alleged incidents over 18 months to May last year.
The charges included seeking bribes of up to $60,000 for slipping travellers through unchecked and forging passports and identity cards.
Six Chinese with allegedly forged Venezuelan passports were said to have been allowed to pass through the territory to Canada.
In the District Court yesterday were chief Customs officer Lee Kang-sun, 42, senior Customs officer Choi Kam-cheung, 36, senior immigration assistants Hung Hak-sing, 31, and Chan So-mei, 35, and unemployed businessman Ng Wai-man, 35.
Ng and Lee denied conspiring to offer $15,000 to senior immigration assistant Hui Kwok-wa to allow six Chinese citizens holding forged Venezuelan passports through Lowu immigration control point.
They also denied conspiring to offer senior immigration officer Chan Yuk-lin $20,000 to assist the same Chinese citizens' departure to Canada through Kai Tak.