A senior merchandise manager at Li & Fung faced bribery charges on Wednesday, according to Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Hong Kong’s ICAC said that Doris Au Yeung Lai-hung, 44, was charged with “six counts of agent accepting an advantage.”
At the time of the alleged offenses, the defendant was responsible for placing purchase orders from Li & Fung with apparel suppliers for children’s wear.
Also named as defendants were Guan Xiaoyi, 30, director at Sun Xinfa Arts Manufacture Ltd., and Yeung Wai-sing, 40, finance manager at Shun Fat Arts Manufacture Ltd.
The ICAC said both Guan and Yeung face a joint count of conspiracy to “offer advantages to an agent.”
A Li & Fung spokeswoman said the Hong Kong-based company is aware of the investigation and issued the following statement: “A Li & Fung employee has been arrested and charged with an offence under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. We have been fully co-operating with the authorities in their investigation and we cannot comment on the case as it goes to trial. The employee in question has been suspended from her duties until the outcome of the trial. Li & Fung abides by and promotes throughout the company the highest standards of business conduct which are reflected in our collective commitment to ethical business practices and regulatory compliance.”
The charges stem from events between April 2008 and July 2010, when Guan and Yeung are alleged to have offered 1.4 million Hong Kong dollars, or $181,436 at current exchange, in bribes to Au Yeung as rewards for children’s wear orders. Au Yeung is alleged to have accepted bribes totaling more than 1.2 million Hong Kong dollars, or $155,700.
The three defendants were released on ICAC bail and are scheduled to appear in court today.