Former airport director admits accepting bribes worth HK$3.3 million

The former chief executive of the Hong Kong Airport Authority has admitted to accepting HK$3.3 million ($423,200) in bribes from two subcontractors of the $1 billion project. Third Runway Project and traded illegal money worth more than HK$5.6 million.

Ricky Lee Wing-fai, 49, pleaded guilty Thursday before a District Court judge to two counts of conspiring to benefit a public official to receive a financial advantage and six counts of money laundering.

His 46-year-old wife Diana Chan Kok-tan, who was initially charged with four counts of money laundering for allegedly using Lee’s illegally obtained money, was given an unconditional discharge after prosecutors decided not to present any evidence to support her conviction.

The HK$141.5 billion airport expansion project began in 2016 after controversy over its environmental impact.

It includes a new 3.8-kilometer (2.3-mile) runway that will open in 2022, a second terminal building opposite the current one, and another concourse.