An architectural consultant has been jailed nine months for accepting a $500,000 bribe from an engineering company proprietor for a renovation project on the Peak.

Lai Kon-bun, 61, a former consultant of R. Hauser & Partners was convicted of one count of an agent accepting an advantage, and acquitted of seven other bribery charges.

District Court Deputy Judge Livesey said as bribery is prevalent in the renovation business, a custodial sentence was required.

In June 2003, an engineering company was awarded a renovation project worth over $4 million by the owners' committee of a residential building on the Peak. After the committee employed Hauser as a consultant, Lai was assigned to monitor the project.

On May 11 last year, he demanded $500,000 from the company's proprietor as reward for helping him in the contract and obtaining payments.