Guilty: marine inspector ‘deliberately’ told workers to ignore life jacket rules before Lamma ferry disaster
Judge says So Ping-chi was not entitled to ‘second guess’ the law
A senior Marine Department official was convicted by a court on Tuesday for instructing his subordinates to flout rules on the number of children’s life jackets boats are required to carry in Hong Kong.
So Ping-chi, an assistant director at the department, also failed to rescind his instructions to ignore the rules, which came to light following the Lamma ferry collision that killed 39 people in 2012.
The District Court ruled it was “deliberate, not inadvertent” that So, 59, general manager of the Local Vessels Safety Section, had told inspectors to allow vessels to break the minimum life jacket rules introduced in 2007.
He was found guilty of one count of misconduct in public office while being the principal surveyor of ships from April 2007 to March 2013.
So has been suspended from duty and “will be handled according the established procedures”, the Marine Department said, though it fell short of stating the consequences So might face. He will be sentenced on June 21 and stands to lose his pension, according to his lawyer.
A spokesman from the Civil Service Department said it would take appropriate action, including disciplinary action, against civil servants convicted of criminal offences.
The seriousness of the defendant’s misconduct lies in his decision to disregard the will of the legislature and replace it with his own
