Eleven car examiners who admitted forging certificates of roadworthiness were jailed for up five months yesterday.
The District Court heard that some of the inspectors ignored obvious defects and even passed cars they had not seen. But Judge Eddie Yip Chor-man said the defendants were influenced by their supervisors and had made no financial gains from their crimes.
Ten examiners who gave statements to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to testify against their three supervisors were each jailed for three months. Lee Kin-man, 52, the only one who did not assist the graft-busters, received a five-month term.
Lee and Chan Yiu-keung, Tang Siu-kwong, Chan Chi-wai, Chan Man-po, Leung Chin-hung, Leung Wing-fai, Lo Chi-hung, Ma Man-chung, Law Kwok-sum and Lam Sik-wa, aged 38 to 53, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to forge documents in December 2013.
The judge said he felt the sentences were long enough as the case had dragged on and some of the defendants had suffered financial difficulties.
They were all approved car testers who worked at Dah Chong Hong (Motor Service Centre) Limited's testing centre in Kowloon Bay between March 2007 and November 2011. All private cars older than six years and light goods vehicles are required to undertake an annual roadworthiness examination.