Ex-Marine Department man accused of perjury in Lamma disaster inquiry shows video of seaman ‘rigging’ inspection
Clip viewed by court allegedly shows navigation light being removed from ‘prop boat’
A retired senior ship inspector from the Marine Department accused of giving a false statement to the Lamma disaster inquiry showed a court a video purportedly involving a seaman rigging an inspection yesterday.
The practice was known “prop boat”, Wong Kam-ching’s barrister John Dunn told an earlier hearing at the District Court, suggesting it involved an agent lending ship parts temporarily to satisfy authorities.
The videoappeared to show a person aboard a fishing boat removing a navigation light at a shelter in Sai Kung after what Wong claimed to be an inspection.
Wong, 60, denies one count of perjury. He is accused of telling the inquiry he was satisfied with the number of children’s life vests on Lamma IV, even though staff from the vessel’s owners Hongkong Electric said there were none.
Lamma IV sank after colliding with Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry’s Sea Smooth, killing 39 passengers, on October 1, 2012.
Commenting on the video shown to the court, Wong claimed a substandard navigation light would be installed once the other one was removed.
Wong said a former colleague was once investigated by the Independent Commission Against Corruption over a “prop boat”. The colleague had allegedly failed to ask a vessel crew to remove a piece of machinery that was not supposed to be there following an inspection.
“But it was later proved that the machinery was not there when the survey was conducted,” he told Judge Timothy Casewell.
Wong claimed that on the inspection day, Hui Sum-wai – an employee of Cheoy Lee Shipyards tasked with doing maintenance work on Lamma IV – took him to see some children’s life jackets. Hui earler denied bringing any on board.
Wong said he counted them, but when asked where he had done this, he replied: “ I don’t have strong memory.”
He did not deny telling the inquiry about the life jackets, but when asked why he had not changed his statement when given the chance to do so, he replied: “Because I did see children’s life jackets on Lamma IV.”
In cross-examination, Prosecutor Andrew Bruce SC asked Wong if he was was aware he might be cheated. Wong said that even if that was the case, inspectors would never be able to find any evidence and would have no ways of checking if the life jackets belonged to a certain ship.
The trial continues today.
