Property agents accused of clients-for-bribes scam

Two estate agents went on trial yesterday accused of receiving commission from five solicitors' firms in exchange for clients.

Jackson Kong Chuen-hung, 37, and his wife Grace Lau Oi-yee, 32, both directors of estate agency group Tai Kong Lands, denied two counts of accepting bribes between March 1993 and June 1994.

Yesterday, four of the five law firms applied to Eastern Court to stop their names being mentioned in news reports.

Magistrate James Lee, who granted the application, heard identity disclosure would be prejudicial to the firms because they were not on trial.

Mr Lee ordered the four firms be identified by letters A to D.

Yesterday, prosecutor Gavin Shiu told the court the couple had set up the Tai Kong group in 1991 and had four offices at the time of the charges.

The companies, under different names, covered Sai Wan Ho, Taikoo Shing, Tai Po and Tuen Mun.

The agency would charge the property purchaser, and sometimes the seller as well, one per cent of the property price as commission.

But in 1993, the couple allegedly agreed that Tai Kong would introduce clients to the law firms for conveyancing.

In return for the business, the firms would rebate a commission of about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the total fees earned, the court heard.

In the examples cited by Mr Shiu, Tai Kong allegedly obtained a rebate of $25,450 from solicitor firm A between December 1993 and June 1994.

Then from September 1993 to February 1994, the couple allegedly took part in a similar deal after setting up a project team targeting the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme.

Ching Y. Wong, defending, applied for more time to consider unused material concerning 73 witnesses.

The hearing continues on Friday.