Hong Kong airport project foreman charged over allegedly taking bribes from 10 migrant workers
Defendant allegedly accepted HK$54,000 in bribes to help 10 imported workers secure their jobs
The anti-corruption watchdog has charged a 62-year-old carpenter foreman at Hong Kong’s airport expansion project over allegedly accepting HK$54,000 (US$7,000) in bribes from 10 imported workers to secure their jobs.
Chen Xianliang, working for contractor Gammon Construction, is facing 10 counts of accepting an advantage, according to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
An investigation, which the ICAC launched after receiving complaints involving alleged wage exploitation, showed that Chen referred the 10 mainland Chinese workers to Gammon for the airport’s new three-runway system.
Upon the workers’ arrival in December 2023, Chen allegedly solicited bribes, each of which ranged from HK$4,800 to HK$5,400, on various occasions. Each worker received a monthly salary of more than HK$37,000.
Chen has been released on bail, pending his court appearance at the West Kowloon Court on Wednesday, where he is expected to enter a plea.
In 2020, the Airport Authority offered Gammon the contract for the project’s automated people mover and baggage handling system. The defendant was also an imported worker employed by Gammon through the Labour Importation Scheme for the Construction Sector.
