Three property agents jailed for bribery scheme for Midland Realty client data

Three property agents were sentenced to prison for up to 10 months on Thursday for offering and accepting bribes totaling HK$32,500 to leak confidential client information from Midland Realty.

The defendants are Kong Ka-shing, 27, an agent at Midland Realty; and Tong Hei-yi, 31, and Chau Ting-fung, 42, both directors and shareholders of Kashing Property (Corp) Limited (Kashing Property).

The court heard that between May and October 2022, Tong and Chau paid Kong HK$6,500 monthly through a middleman in exchange for client data from Midland's database.

The duo had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to induce an agent to accept an advantage, while Kong was found guilty of additional charges related to accessing a computer with criminal or dishonest intent.

Delivering the verdict at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court, Deputy Magistrate Sara Li Cheuk-wai emphasized the organized nature of the five-month scheme, which represented a severe breach of trust and caused potential economic loss to Midland.

While the bribe amount was not exceptionally high, Li condemned the prolonged and coordinated crime.

She described Kong as playing a "pivotal role" by abusing his access to confidential data and showing no remorse, having blamed the breach on merely "carelessly sharing" his password. Consequently, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Tong and Chau, while not the primary instigators, actively participated to benefit their own agency while depriving Midland of business opportunities.

Despite Tong's cooperation as a prosecution witness, the court deemed his assistance limited. Tong eventually received a five-month sentence, while Chau was jailed for six months.

Rejecting defense arguments that the pair acted under influence or opportunistically, Li stressed that corruption cannot be tolerated and the sentences must serve as a strong deterrent to others in the industry.