ICAC Charges Three, Including Ex-HSBC Officer, Over HK$29,000 in Bribes

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) formally charged three individuals on August 4, including a then-bank employee and an intermediary, alleging they accepted and offered bribes totalling HK$29,000 to assist the intermediary's clients in opening bank accounts. The defendants are Cheng Hoi-ying (31), a then-banking officer at HSBC; Lam Pok-yin (27), an intermediary; and Cheng Ka-yiu (35), a friend of Cheng Hoi-ying. Cheng Hoi-ying and Lam Pok-yin face multiple charges of accepting and offering bribes respectively. All three were granted bail and are scheduled to enter pleas at Eastern Magistrates' Courts on August 6. At the time, Cheng Hoi-ying was a staff member at HSBC's Sheung Wan branch, while Lam Pok-yin, acting as an intermediary, referred clients to an insurance brokerage for policies and arranged for them to open bank accounts to pay premiums.

The charges allege that between May and October 2024, the three individuals accepted and offered advantages to have Cheng Hoi-ying process bank account applications from clients referred by Lam Pok-yin. They are accused of conspiring to offer bribes totalling HK$13,000 to Cheng Hoi-ying, who is separately charged with accepting four bribes from Lam Pok-yin totalling HK$16,000. Lam Pok-yin allegedly provided HK$300 to HK$600 per referred client to Cheng Hoi-ying. During an internal investigation, HSBC discovered multiple suspicious account-opening applications handled by Cheng Hoi-ying and suspected she had not fully performed the due diligence required by the bank. The case will be processed according to the established judicial procedure, and details are subject to the court's announcement.