'MTR Safety Checks Prove Whistleblower Is No Liar'

The lawyer representing a construction firm boss who exposed corner-cutting in the building of new MTR platforms at Hung Hom Station has told an inquiry that tests being carried out have clearly proved the allegation to be correct and that his client is a credible witness.

Jason Poon's trustworthiness had been brought into question by the barrister for the MTR Corporation, who said people couldn't believe a word Poon said. Poon, the managing director of subcontractor China Technology, was also described as being aggressive and manipulative.

But in his final submission to the inquiry on Tuesday, Poon's lawyer Simon So noted that ongoing checks to see how steel reinforcement bars have been fitted at two station platforms have found dozens were either cut short or incorrectly screwed in.

This, he said, provided "indisputable evidence" to back up his client's allegation.

So said Poon "may well be criticised for having a bad temper and he may well be eager to speak to the media. But however unpleasant his personality or character, it is quite another thing to say he’s a liar, dishonest, or had been fabricating matters”.

He added that Poon had risked his personal reputation and that of his business by giving evidence to the inquiry, and nobody would have known about the extent of the construction flaws at Hung Hom if he hadn’t come forward with the information.

So said there is now a “mountain of iron-proof evidence” that there has been a systematic and planned cutting of steel bars at the platforms for the future Shatin-Cental Link, and that the main contractor for the project, Leighton, simply has no reasonable defence against this charge.

But the lawyer for Fang Sheung Construction – the subcontractor that actually installed the steel bars – said there was no systematic or widespread cutting of bars.

In her final submission, Sezen Chong said a few isolated cases were the result of the negligence of individual workers, who simply cut the bars out of convenience. But she stressed those problems had been rectified and such incidents had not reoccurred.

The inquiry's chairman Michael Hartmann said the commission would be very careful about concluding whether the station platforms are structurally safe or not.

The retired judge said a report would be going to Chief Executive Carrie Lam as soon as possible.