Ten months’ jail for then company manager charged by ICAC for soliciting $3m bribe from business partner over dispute resolution

A then manager of a company, charged by the ICAC and convicted after trial of soliciting a bribe of $2 million to $3 million from a business partner for assisting the latter to resolve a business dispute between the two companies on terms most favourable to the partner, was today (June 10) sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts.

Wang Wenning, 65, then manager of China Coal Hong Kong Limited (CCHK, formerly known as Double Resources Limited), was earlier found guilty of one count of agent soliciting an advantage, contrary to section 9(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

In sentencing, Magistrate Miss Minnie Wat Lai-man reprimanded the defendant for abusing his official capacity to solicit bribe money. She noted that corruption was a serious crime warranting a deterrent sentence, and imposed an immediate custodial sentence on the defendant.

The court heard that in 1994, the parent company of CCHK and a business partner jointly invested in a property development project and capital injection was made by CCHK. CCHK subsequently intended to withdraw some of the investment fund from the project but the two parties failed to reach a final agreement. Since 2018, CCHK and the business partner had a dispute over the project. The defendant was assigned to resolve the dispute.

The defendant subsequently arranged a one-on-one meeting with a director-cum-shareholder of the business partner. During the meeting, the defendant told the director-cum-shareholder that he was in urgent need of money for his personal financial problem, and solicited from the latter a bribe between $2 million and $3 million. The defendant claimed that he would assist the director-cum-shareholder to resolve the dispute on terms and conditions most favourable to him, but his solicitation was rejected.
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CCHK prohibits its employees from soliciting or accepting advantages from others in relation to CCHK’s affairs and business.

CCHK and the business partner concerned rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Marc Corlett, assisted by ICAC officer Swing Chan.