A Highways Department officer and a subcontractor have been jailed by the District Court for a scam involving the replacement of asbestos wall panels in the Aberdeen Tunnel.

Works Supervisor Chan Wing-wai, 34, received two years and four months imprisonment, while Tak Lee Company proprietor Tang Tak, 51, was jailed for two and a half years.

In sentencing, the judge said Chan had caused a serious breach of trust, and reprimanded Tang for showing no remorse.

The judge said as a result of the fraud, which lasted three to four years, the health of tunnel users might have been put at risk as damaged asbestos wall panels were not properly replaced.

Chan and Tang, charged by the ICAC, were yesterday found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the department. They were also convicted of three fraud charges.