An Electrical & Mechanical Services Department officer and a subcontractor have been charged for alleged bribery over the subcontracting of maintenance works. The Independent Commission Against Corruption also alleges misconduct in public office and blackmail on the part of the officer.

Electrical & Mechanical Services Department Acting Assistant Air-conditioning Inspector Tso Moon-tong, 49, and Sham Chung-pak, 54, operator of ProSense Engineering Company, will appear in Kowloon City Magistracy at 9.30am October 18.

ProSense is a subcontractor of Winston Air-Conditioning & Engineering. Winston was awarded a department biennial contract for the maintenance of unattended air conditioning installations for Kowloon municipal venues.

The defendants were arrested by the ICAC during a corruption inquiry in March.

Six charges

Tso faces six charges, including two counts of prescribed officer accepting an advantage, one of prescribed officer soliciting an advantage, one of misconduct in public office, and two of blackmail.

Two of the bribery charges allege Tso accepted two loans, totalling $50,000, from another subcontractor without permission. He is also alleged to have solicited a $100,000 loan from a business partner of Sham, without official permission.

The misconduct charge alleges Tso, aided and abetted by Sham, wilfully and intentionally culpably misconducted himself in respect of the department's contract subcontracted by Winston to Prosense.

Tso is alleged to have shown improper partiality towards ProSense, and made arrangements for ProSense to further subcontract the maintenance works under the said contract to Chun Hing Engineering Company, in which Tso had an interest.

Tso further faces two counts of blackmail, which allege he made unwarranted demands of a subcontract in respect of the biennial contract from Winston with menaces.

Conspiracy, aiding and abetting

Sham faces one count of having conspired with his business partner to offer monthly payments of $20,000 to Tso, whilst having dealings with the Government through the department.

Sham is further alleged of aiding and abetting Tso in committing the alleged misconduct offence.

The alleged offences occurred between September last year and February. The defendants have been released on bail.