A former customer service officer of Cathay Pacific Airways was suspected of receiving multiple bribes from a human smuggling syndicate from 2008 to 2009, issuing boarding passes to passengers arranged by the syndicate to help them smuggle to other countries. He was arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 2009 and then absconded. He was arrested yesterday when he returned to Hong Kong 15 years later. He was charged with four counts of conspiracy to accept benefits as an agent and appeared in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (22nd). The defendant is not required to plead guilty for the time being and was remanded in custody by the Correctional Services Department. The case was adjourned to September 30th for further hearing.
Two ground staff and two members of the human smuggling syndicate were also prosecuted in the case that year, and the four were sentenced to 14 to 20 months in prison.
More than $1,000 bribes were received from each passenger to issue boarding passes
44-year-old Xu Yingjie worked as a customer service officer of Cathay Pacific Airways from September 2008 to August 2009, assisting passengers in checking in at the airport. The charge alleges that he was suspected of conspiring with the human smuggling syndicate and two other Cathay Pacific ground staff to accept multiple bribes to ensure that passengers arranged by the syndicate successfully checked in, to notify the syndicate of passengers’ boarding status, and to obtain relevant security information from Cathay Pacific’s computer system.
The ICAC investigation found that Xu Yingjie and the two ground staff were suspected of issuing boarding passes to passengers arranged by the human smuggling syndicate, and Xu Yingjie received bribes of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan for each passenger.
He returned to Hong Kong yesterday after 15 years of absconding
Xu Yingjie was arrested by the ICAC in August 2009 and then absconded after jumping bail. The Magistrates’ Court then issued an arrest warrant for him. After returning to Hong Kong yesterday (21st), he was charged with four counts of conspiracy to accept advantages as an agent, in violation of Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and Section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance.
Xu Yingjie was brought to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today for trial. He was not required to plead guilty for the time being. Magistrate Wong Ching-yu adjourned the case to September 30. The defendant was remanded in custody of the Correctional Services Department.
As for the two members of the human smuggling syndicate and two other former Cathay Pacific ground staff involved in the same case, they admitted five counts of conspiracy to accept benefits as agents and were sentenced to 14 to 20 months in prison in the District Court in February 2011.
