A Police Constable was charged by the ICAC for allegedly swindling over $90,000 from the wife of an arrestee and from a police suspect by claiming that the sum was bail money or to be given to a victim to withdraw her complaint.

The defendant, 33, faces a total of 18 offences - 16 counts of fraud, one of prescribed officer accepting an advantage, contrary to Section 3 of the Prevention and Bribery Ordinance, and one of doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.

He will appear in Eastern Magistracy at 9:30 am tomorrow (Friday), pending transfer to the District Court.

One of the fraud charges alleges that the defendant had falsely represented to the wife of a police arrestee that the latter would need to pay for bail and induced her to give him $5,000 for the purpose.

Another seven fraud charges allege that the defendant had falsely represented to a suspect in a police case that the nature of the alleged criminal case against the said suspect was serious, and that he had to pay a total of $35,000 for bail to be granted.

The defendant is further alleged of deceiving the same suspect of $43,000 in total on four occasions by claiming that the victim of the alleged criminal case against him had demanded the money for withdrawing her complaint.

The remaining four fraud charges allege the defendant of inducing the above suspect to lend him a total of $7,400, by falsely representing that his bank account was frozen by the ICAC, and that he needed the money to pay for ICAC bail.

The defendant, as a prescribed officer, is also accused of accepting a loan of $3,000 from the above suspect without permission.

He is further alleged of coaching the same person not to give a witness statement to the ICAC and not to mention about the money dealings between them, with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

The alleged offences took place between April 1 and December 20, 2008.

The defendant has been granted ICAC bail, pending his court appearance tomorrow.