The Zhitong Finance App learned that the Hong Kong Independent Commission against Corruption yesterday (August 4) indicted three people, including a then-bank employee and an intermediary, for allegedly accepting and providing bribes totaling HK$29,000 to assist the intermediary's clients to open bank accounts. The charge alleges that the three defendants were suspected of receiving and providing benefits between May and October 2024 to enable Cheng Hoi-ying to process customer bank account applications referred by Lam Po-yin. The three are suspected of conspiring to offer Cheng Hoi-ying a bribe of HK$13,000; Cheng Hoi-ying is also suspected of accepting four bribes totaling HK$16,000 from Lam Po-yin. Lam Po-yin is suspected of offering bribes of HK$300 to HK$600 for each referred client.
Cheng Hoi-ying, 31, was the banking director at the time of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC); Lam Po-yin, 27, intermediary; and Cheng Hoi-ying's friend Cheng Ka-yiu, 35, are also charged with one count of conspiring to provide benefits to an agent, in violation of section 9 (2) (a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and section 159A of the Criminal Offences Ordinance.
Cheng Hoi-ying was also charged with four counts of an agent accepting an advantage, contrary to section 9 (1) (a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; while Lam Pok Yin was charged with another count of providing an advantage to an agent, contrary to section 9 (2) (a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
At the time of the incident, Zheng Kaiying was working at an HSBC branch in Sheung Wan. As an intermediary, Lin Po-yin will refer clients to insurance brokerage companies and arrange for customers to open bank accounts to pay premiums.
When HSBC conducted an internal investigation, it was discovered that there were many suspicious account opening applications handled by Zheng Kaiying, and it is suspected that she did not fully comply with the due diligence required by the bank. The ICAC later received a corruption complaint, and the investigation revealed the corruption activities of the three.
The three have been granted bail and will plead in the Eastern Magistrates' Court tomorrow (August 6).