ICAC | Avoided Criticism by Offering Thousand-Dollar Bribe to Agent for Private Settlement - CityU Associate Professor Imprisoned for 4.5 Months

City University of Hong Kong Associate Professor of Economics and Finance Du Du was convicted of offering a bribe of HKD 1,000 to a real estate agent to avoid paying “break-up” compensation. He was sentenced to 4 and a half months in prison today at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court and granted bail of HKD 20,000 pending appeal, with conditions including not leaving Hong Kong.

Official: Bribery is a serious crime, difficult to justify with cultural differences

Judge Siu Tsz Yiu stated that bribery is a serious offense in Hong Kong. The defendant has a good background and high education, has resided in Hong Kong for many years, and it is difficult to use cultural differences as an excuse. When committing the act, he must have been aware that it could pose a risk to his work. Considering there are no special circumstances in this case, he was sentenced to 4.5 months in prison.

The defendant, Du Du, aged 48, was involved in a case where in November 2022, he visited a rental property in Tai Wai through a Centaline Property agent. At the time, Du signed a temporary lease agreement on the spot with the landlord to rent the unit for HKD 16,000 per month. Later, through other channels, Du found another unit in the same estate and contacted the Centaline agent in the afternoon, expressing his desire to cancel the temporary lease.

Defendant: Hong Kong is very strict; I think it’s unnecessary

According to the temporary lease terms, if either party cancels the contract, they must pay an amount equivalent to the deposit as “break-up” compensation, which is HKD 16,000. However, the defendant offered the agent HKD 1,000 for a private settlement and messaged that if they had a good relationship in Mainland China, they could settle privately without the company knowing. He also said, “Hong Kong is very strict; I really think it’s unnecessary.” The agent did not accept this and reported the incident to the company.

City University previously responded that they do not comment on individual cases, emphasizing that the university supports law-abiding conduct. Faculty and students are also required to follow the university’s code of conduct; if necessary, disciplinary procedures will be followed.