Thirteen parents and a middleman on Tuesday were found guilty of bribing a kindergarten administrator with HK$1.1 million to secure priority admission for 12 children between 2019 and 2022. A former administrator of ESF International Kindergarten (Wu Kai Sha) had previously admitted to accepting bribes. She was responsible for handling the relevant applications at the time. The District Court heard that the parents and the intermediary had offered the administrator bribes ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 in exchange for securing kindergarten places for the children. An ICAC investigation found that the children had passed the interviews but were initially placed at the bottom of the waiting list for admission. However, after the defendants paid bribes, they were given priority and admitted to the kindergarten. Deputy Judge Amy Chan remanded the defendants in custody and adjourned the case until March 31 for sentencing. In a statement, the ICAC said that a culture of integrity is an important foundation of Hong Kong’s education system. It reminded parents that they should never offer bribes to staff in exchange for school places. The ICAC also stated that ESF Educational Services rendered full assistance during its investigation into the case. Edited by Thomas McAlinden