(AP) — Three employees of the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting are on paid leave after charging documents were unsealed accusing them of taking bribes to fast-track projects. U.S. prosecutors say two others who have since retired from the department also took bribes. Three of the defendants pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday, including a now-retired building plans examiner who allegedly accepted at least $100,000 in bribes from an architect, contractor and others in exchange for expediting approval of projects. A lawyer representing a charged architect says the department forced him and others to “pay to play.”

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