Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged two women for allegedly bribing a HSBC counter service officer with an unspecified amount of money in connection to a bank account opening.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Monday said the two women – Yu Hui, 26, and Wang Jinyu, 37 – jointly face one count of offering advantage to an agent and will appear at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday for plea.
Yu, an executive, and Wang, a live-streaming technician, came to Hong Kong last month and visited an HSBC branch in Wan Chai, where they said they wished to open an account for Yu with the bank, according to an ICAC statement.
The duo were said to have sought to complete the account opening procedures on the same day, offering a bribe of an unspecified sum to an HSBC employee.
The bank employee rejected the offer and ICAC officers arrested the duo on the spot after receiving a corruption complaint from the bank.
“Enquiries by the ICAC revealed that the defendants allegedly offered an envelope containing a wad of HK$100 and HK$500 banknotes to the bank employee,” the watchdog said in the statement.
The duo were alleged to have breached the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. They were released on bail pending their appearance in court.
ICAC added that HSBC “rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.”
The watchdog reminded the public not to bribe bank staff in exchange for its services.
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