Hong Kong’s ICAC charges ex-professor over alleged bribe to admit master’s student

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency has charged a former university professor with allegedly accepting a HK$40,000 (US$5,100) bribe from a friend and offering red packets to colleagues to facilitate a student’s admission into a master’s degree programme.The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Monday revealed that the friend of Liu Hongbin, 63, a former chair professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s (HKUST) department of ocean science, was also being charged in the case.The duo jointly faced one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage, with Liu facing two additional counts of offering an advantage to a public servant.Both defendants have been released on bail and are scheduled to appear at Kwun Tong Court to enter pleas on Wednesday.The alleged offences occurred between March and May 2025. Liu was then programme director for the Master of Science in Environmental Health and Safety, and was responsible for reviewing applications and interviewing candidates to determine their eligibility for the 2025-26 academic year.According to the ICAC, Liu accepted a bribe of $40,000 from Lam to facilitate a student’s admission into the programme.The ICAC’s investigation also found that the student failed to meet general admission requirements and that the application was ultimately rejected.