3 ex-HSBC staff face anti-corruption watchdog charges over alleged bribes for bank account openings

Three former HSBC staff have been charged over allegedly accepting bribes to assist customers in opening bank accounts without joining the queue. Each customer was referred by an insurance agent. HSBC. File Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. Chan Fu-kwan, 32; Mike Chan, 29; and Bernie Yau, 33, were relationship managers at an HSBC Causeway Bay branch at the time of the offences in 2024, according to a Thursday press release from the Independent Commission Against Corruption. 💡 Under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, it is unlawful to disclose the details of investigations launched by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, or the identity of individuals involved, unless officially revealed. The trio faced a total of six bribery charges on Wednesday – five of conspiracy for an agent to accept an advantage, and one of an agent accepting an advantage. They were not authorised to handle account opening applications themselves, but were tasked with processing bank account opening applications for those queuing up at the branch. “The charges allege that in 2024, Chan Fu-kwan accepted bribes from an insurance agent, amounting to between HK$1,000 and HK$1,200 per customer referred, to facilitate the opening of bank accounts for those customers,” the anti-corruption watchdog said. It also alleged that Chan Fu-kwan referred some customers to colleagues Mike Chan and Bernie Yau “for assistance in account opening, and offered bribes ranging from HK$300 to HK$500 per customer referred to them.” ICAC. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. The ICAC probe alleged that Chan Fu-kwan accepted over HK$35,000 in bribes, requesting assistance from Mike Chan and Bernie Yau when he was unable to handle such customers himself. The watchdog also said that they found Mike Chan allegedly placed over HK$120,000-worth of bets with an online bookmaker. He was therefore also charged on Wednesday with one count of betting with a bookmaker, contrary to section 8 of the Gambling Ordinance. The ICAC said HSBC had fully cooperated with the investigation. The three were released on bail and will enter a plea at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Friday. Under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, those convicted of conspiracy for an agent to accept advantages face up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$500,000. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 as the city's first crowdfunded newspaper. He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously founded an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others. Tom leads HKFP – raising funds, managing the team and navigating risk – whilst regularly speaking on press freedom, ethics and media funding at industry events, schools and conferences around the world. More by Tom Grundy