A Hong Kong court docket has sentenced a former college professor to 20 weeks in jail after he accepted a HK$40,000 (US$5,110) bribe and supplied two colleagues crimson packets to assist an unqualified student acquire admission to a postgraduate programme, with the choose condemning his actions for tarnishing the town’s popularity.
Liu Hongbin was sentenced on Thursday for abusing his authority as chair professor on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s (HKUST) division of ocean science to assist a mainland Chinese student majoring in automotive service engineering safe a conditional supply for a grasp’s diploma in environmental well being and security between March and May 2025.
The 63-year-old defendant pleaded responsible at Kwun Tong Court earlier this month to one depend of conspiracy for a public servant to settle for a bonus and two counts of providing a bonus to a public servant.
Defence counsel Dick Wong Chun-man on Thursday urged the court docket to droop his shopper’s jail time period, highlighting optimistic testimonials made by the defendant’s spouse, colleagues, college students and pals, who described Liu as a selfless and upstanding marine biologist who had devoted his life to analysis, educating and public service.
Wong stated the case had a devastating affect on Liu’s profession. The analysis workforce he had labored with for many years had been dismissed and his HK$31 million analysis challenge into methods to mitigate local weather change by coastal administration had collapsed.
The lawyer additionally stated that Liu, who had spent 15 days in custody earlier than sentencing, was keen to cooperate with the Independent Commission Against Corruption to use his case as academic materials for different mainland arrivals sooner or later.