Ex-McDonald’s consultant charged in Hong Kong over watch-for-contract bribe
City’s anti-corruption agency alleges Ling Mun-tong awarded couple with projects after accepting HK$80,000 watch from them
A former construction consultant of fast food chain McDonald’s has been charged by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency for accepting a HK$80,000 (US$10,300) watch from a couple in exchange for showing favour to their renovation company.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Monday that Ling Mun-tong, 45, previously a construction consultant with MHK Restaurants Limited (MHK), which operates more than 200 McDonald’s branches in Hong Kong, faces one count of accepting an advantage as an agent.
Chow Chi-kuen, 48, engineering manager of Wardson Deco-Construction Limited, and his wife Chan Chin-yu, 30, the firm’s director and shareholder, jointly face one count of offering an advantage to an agent, for allegedly bribing Ling for building contracts.
The trio were released on bail. They will be brought to West Kowloon Court on Tuesday.
While at MHK, Ling was responsible for conducting its construction tender exercises, which included inviting approved contractors to submit proposals and analyses, making recommendations, and overseeing the progress of projects.
Ling is alleged to have accepted a watch worth more than HK$80,000 from the couple on December 2, 2023, as a reward for showing favour to Wardson, an approved contractor of MHK.
