Hong Kong Court Sentences Australian Jockey to 30 Months in Prison

A Hong Kong court has sentenced one of Australia's best-known jockeys to 30 months in prison for taking bribes in exchange for racing tips. Thirty-seven-year-old Chris Munce won Australia's 1998 Melbourne Cup. An anti-corruption sting caught Munce last July with 32-thousand dollars stuffed into his pockets after meeting a Chinese businessman.

Court testimony said Munce gave racing tips to the man through an Indian go-between. Rules of Hong Kong's Jockey Club prohibit jockeys from providing information about their horses or betting on races in which they have a stake. The judge said the evidence suggested Lau paid for Munce's insider information. Munce's attorney argued that his client's infractions amounted to what the lawyer called a victimless crime.

香港一法庭判处澳大利亚著名的职业赛马师万成30个月监禁，罪名是以透露赛事情报换取贿赂。现年37岁万成曾获得1998年墨尔本杯的冠军。去年7月的一次反腐行动发现万成与一名中国商人会面后收取了3万2千美元。

法庭证词说，万成通过一个印度中间人向那名行贿男子透露了赛马情报。香港赛马会禁止骑师透露自己赛马的消息，也不允许他们在跟自己有利害关系的比赛上下赌注。法官说，证据显示，那名男子向万成购买了内部情报。万成的律师争辩说，万成的违规行为仅构成不伤害任何人的罪行。