A former professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has been sentenced to 20 weeks’ imprisonment over bribery to secure the admission of a mainland Chinese student to the university.

Liu Hongbin, who served as a chair professor at HKUST when the bribery took place, was sentenced on Thursday at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court, local media reported.

Liu previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage and two counts of offering advantages to public servants.

He admitted to accepting HK$40,000 in bribes in March and May 2025 from a friend who works as an insurance agent to help secure a mainland Chinese student’s admission to a master’s programme at HKUST.

At that time, Liu was a chair professor at the Department of Ocean Science and director of the Master of Science in Environmental Health and Safety programme, which the student applied for.

While the student was not qualified for the master’s programme, Liu ordered a lecturer to interview the student and suggested that the lecturer admit the student, the court heard earlier this month.

After the student received a conditional offer from HKUST, Liu gave HK$5,000 to the lecturer and HK$1,000 to another staff member who was responsible for admissions.

The lecturer then reported the bribery to the department manager and handed over the money. The staff member also handed over the money to the department, local media outlet The Witness reported on Thursday.

According to case details revealed in court, Liu was born in mainland China and became a permanent Hong Kong resident in 2002.

In mitigation, the defence said that Liu had seen the disbandment of his research team at HKUST and suffered from depression following his arrest.

Acting principal magistrate May Chung did not accept the defence’s argument that Liu committed the crime because he was affected by others, pointing out that he has been living in Hong Kong for many years, is highly educated, and taught at a university.

In response to media enquiries, HKUST said that Liu had resigned from the university.

A woman has denied charges of offering bribes to Hong Kong immigration officers over a permanent residency application and obstructing anti-graft officers in the execution of their duties.

Wang Subing, an unemployed 36-year-old, appeared at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday, Ming Pao reported.

She was charged with one count of offering an advantage to a public servant and one count of resisting or obstructing officers in the execution of their duties.

The case was adjourned to July 20 for a pre-trial review, and the defendant was released on HK$20,000 bail.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) charged Wang on April 1, the anti-graft watchdog said last month.

According to the ICAC, she lived in Hong Kong on a student visa between mid-2018 and early 2020.

“She later entered Hong Kong as a visitor and had a record of overstaying. The offences took place in 2025,” it said. “At the material time, the defendant was applying for the issuance of a permanent identity card of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.”

The Immigration Department rejected her application because Wang did not meet the requirement of seven years’ ordinary residence in Hong Kong.

Then, on September 17, Wang handed over a letter to immigration officers with banknotes of HK$1,100 and RMB100 – although applications for permanent residency are free of charge.

The ICAC investigated the case after the Immigration Department made a report to the watchdog.

Wang is also accused of resisting or obstructing ICAC officers on October 8, when they tried to take her from the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O to the ICAC office.

Offering an advantage to a public servant in Hong Kong is an offence under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$500,000.