Hong Kong court jails pair for 4 weeks in bribery case linked to 500,000 yuan semiconductor equipment order
- Two men, aged 55 and 71, jointly faced one count of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages
- They admitted offering and accepting bribes to help a supplier obtain a 500,000 yuan purchase order for two items used to manufacture semiconductors
Two men have each been sentenced to four weeks’ jail in Hong Kong after admitting offering and accepting bribes to help a supplier obtain a 500,000 yuan (US$70,000) purchase order for items used in manufacturing semiconductors.
They pleaded guilty before acting principal magistrate Amy Chan Wai-mun with each sentenced to four weeks’ imprisonment.
Defendant Stephen Ho Chi-hoi, 55, a former director of the engineering department of Nexperia (China) Limited, was responsible for supervising its assessment of the technical capabilities of suppliers and recommending vendors to the firm.
The other defendant, James Gin Yiu-chung, 71, was a sales representative of Corbest Development Limited and its subsidiary Dong Guan Sun Honest Microelectronics Equipment Limited, which were both suppliers of Nexperia.
In February 2017, Nexperia began to pick a supplier for two items used to manufacture semiconductors – a mould chase and cavity bar – and invited Gin and two other firms to submit quotations.
Nexperia eventually chose Sun Honest and placed a purchase order worth more than 500,000 yuan.
Gin, who received a commission of 36,000 yuan from Corbest related to the purchase order, offered a bribe of more than HK$16,000 to Ho as a reward for facilitating the picking of Sun Honest as Nexperia’s supplier.
“Nexperia did not allow its employees to solicit or accept advantages in relation to its business. The company has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case,” a spokesman for the anti-corruption agency said on Monday.
Under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, it is a crime for an agent to solicit or accept any form of benefit or reward, related to their actions or decisions concerning their principal’s affairs or business, without lawful authority or a valid reason.
The offence can result in a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and a prison sentence of up to seven years.
