A former bank manager wanted by Hong Kong investigators looking into a HK$460 million letter of credit (L/C) scam has voluntarily returned from Canada.

Lam Tze-leung, a former employee of Hang Seng Bank Limited, faces seven charges of bribery and four charges of conspiracy brought by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

Bribes

The seven bribery charges allege that while employed by Hang Seng Bank, Lam had accepted two Rolex watches and bribes totalling about HK$256,000.

The bribes received by Lam were allegedly his reward for granting and maintaining credit facilities from Hang Seng Bank to Au Kiang International Company Limited and Dero Enterprises Limited.

Conspiracy

The remaining four charges allege that Lam conspired with others to defraud Hang Seng Bank in relation to applications by Au Kiang and Dero for L/C facilities totalling HK$462 million based on bogus commercial transactions.

The alleged bribery and conspiracy offences took place between 1994 and 1998.

Return home

Lam arrived back in Hong Kong in September having been arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Toronto in June.

The former bank manager left Hong Kong in August 1998 shortly before the ICAC investigation commenced. Lam was arrested after the Hong Kong authorities asked their Canadian counterparts to arrest him in Canada, after which he waived extradition proceedings and agreed to return to Hong Kong to face prosecution.

This article represents the views of the author and not necessarily those of the ICC or any of the other partners in DC-PRO.