ICAC charges 3 former HSBC managers over accepting bribes to fast-track accounts

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged three former HSBC relationship managers with allegedly accepting bribes to help customers jump the queue when opening bank accounts.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Thursday that Chan Fu-kwan, 32, Mike Chan Wai-pak, 29, and Bernie Yau Kai-lung, 33, face a total of six bribery charges. All three worked at the bank’s Causeway Bay branch at the time of the alleged offences and were formally charged on Wednesday.

An ICAC investigation found that Chan Fu-kwan allegedly accepted bribes from an insurance agent, ranging from HK$1,000 (US$127) to HK$1,200 per referred customer, to facilitate opening their accounts.

He also allegedly referred some customers to three other HSBC relationship managers, including Mike Chan and Yau, for help in opening accounts, and offered bribes of HK$300 to HK$500 per customer referred to them.

He also asked the trio for help when he could not handle those customers himself.

The watchdog said Chan Fu-kwan had accepted a total of HK$35,000 to fast-track these account openings, allowing the referred clients to skip branch queues entirely.