A Marine Department officer, his wife and a supplier have been charged by the ICAC for bribery, misconduct and fraud for the alleged awarding of over $2 million in purchase orders.

Chan Chung-ching, 52, Marine Department Supplies Supervisor, his wife Chan Ip Fung-hang, 52, Castle Stamp & Design Company proprietor, and Susana Chan, 46, operator of Achievement Trading Company are on bail, pending appearances at North Kowloon Magistracy tomorrow to face seven charges.

They were arrested during a corruption inquiry last April. Two of the charges allege Chan Chung-ching, in the course of his public office, wilfully and intentionally culpably misconducted himself in issuing the purchase orders to Castle Stamp & Achievement.

The charges allege he failed to declare a conflict of interest arising from his relationship with the proprietors and operators of the two companies, and showing improper partiality towards them.

One charge also alleges Chan Ip Fung-hang and Chan Siu-wai aided and abetted Chan Chung-ching to commit the alleged misconduct offence in relation to purchase orders said to have been awarded to Achievement.

Chan Chung-ching and Chan Ip Fung-hang also face one count of conspiring together and with another person for Chan Chung-ching to accept periodic payments as rewards for recommending the Marine Department to issue purchase orders to Palmtop Stamp Company.

The remaining four charges allege Chan Chung-ching fraudulently induced his department to award purchase orders to Palmtop, Yan Shun Hardware, Eddie Company and Jit Shing Hong, by falsely representing to the department that genuine competing, higher quotations had been obtained.

Purchase orders awarded to these suppliers related to various items, including office equipment, electrical appliances, cleaning products and mechanical parts for vessel maintenance.

The alleged offences took place between January 1999 and April last year.