The District Court has jailed a couple for offering $1 million in bribes to a former bank officer for defrauding the bank of US$17 million in loans through standby Letters of Credit.

Wong Mei-lan, 41, was sentenced to six years today, being found guilty of 11 offences - one count of conspiracy to offer advantages, two of offering an advantage, four of conspiracy to defraud, three of obtaining pecuniary advantages by deception, and one of attempting to obtain pecuniary advantages by deception.

Her husband Tsang Tze-bun, 43, was sentenced to five years, convicted of two counts of conspiracy to defraud, and two of obtaining pecuniary advantages by deception.

Wong and Tsang controlled two British Virgin Islands-registered companies - Waymax Holdings and Chinapro Pacific at the time of the offences.

Between October and December 1998, Wong offered $643,387.50 and $257,022.50 to a former credit department head of BNP Paribas Hong Kong Branch (formerly known as Banque Nationale de Paris Hong Kong Branch) as reward for processing applications for credit facilities.

Wong also conspired with the bank officer to offer the latter a reward at the rate of 1% or 0.5% of the amount of the credit facilities granted by BNP for processing the two applications.

Between October 1998 and August 1999, Wong conspired with the officer to defraud BNP by dishonestly representing that two standby letters of credit issued by two Bosnian banks were genuine.

Wong and Tsang were also found guilty of conspiring with the former bank officer and other persons to defraud BNP between November 1998 and August 1999 by dishonestly representing that two standby letters of credit issued by GSP International Bank, a bank at a South Pacific island Vanuatu, and Soko were genuine.