McDonald's Hong Kong boss guilty

Lau Si-sing was found guilty of taking 2.5 million Hong Kong dollars in bribes from a corn supplier, whom he also asked to lie to investigators, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said.

Lau asked the Thai company, named by the South China Morning Post as Siam Ready, to pay rebates equivalent to 10% of the sales of corn supplied to McDonald's.

The ICAC said the supplier agreed to the payment as he believed that this was how McDonald's did business. Lau gave the firm the contract to supply McDonald's with corn in June 2005.

Over the next two years the money was paid into the bank account of Lau or his wife as McDonald's purchased more than 25 million Hong Kong dollars of goods from the Thai firm, the court heard.

Lau was found guilty Wednesday, 15 April 2009, on two counts of conspiracy. The case has been adjourned until 6 May for sentencing.

Source: AFP

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