A barrister (D1) and a former legal executive (D2) of a solicitors firm, charged by the ICAC, today (Tuesday) appeared in the District Court for allegedly stealing and attempting to steal over HK$70,000 from the wife of a defendant and a co-defendant of a deception case.

D1, 42, and D2, 48, pleaded not guilty to two joint charges of theft. D1 further denied two counts of attempted theft, while D2 pleaded not guilty to three counts of using a false instrument.

Judge Stanley Chan adjourned the case to September 20 for trial, and granted D1 and D2 cash bail of $100,000 and $50,000 respectively.

The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above alleged offences.

Two of the charges alleged that D1 and D2 stole a total of US$5,000 belonging to the wife of a person (R1), who was then charged by the Police for his alleged involvement in a deception case, while another person (R2) was a co-defendant of the case.

Two other charges alleged D1 of attempting to steal a total of US$4,000 belonging to the wife of R1 and R2.

The alleged offences took place between July 25 and September 6, 2007.

The remaining three charges alleged D2 of using three false authorisation letters bearing the letterhead of the solicitors firm for the visits of R1 and R2 remanded at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre on three occasions between July 24 and August 2, 2007, with the intention of inducing officers of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) to accept them as genuine.

The prosecution was today represented by Public Prosecutor Alvin Chui, assisted by ICAC officer Vincent Ling.

Meanwhile, the former legal executive of the solicitors firm was also earlier charged by the ICAC with eight counts of using a false instrument and one of theft in another case.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges, and will appear in Eastern Magistracy for a pre-trial review on Thursday (April 22).

Eight of the charges alleged that the defendant used false authorisation letters bearing the letterhead of the solicitors firm for the visits of four persons remanded at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre on eight occasions between September 23, 2006 and August 13, 2007, with the intention of inducing CSD officers to accept them as genuine.

The remaining charge alleged Ho of stealing about HK$30,000 being the property of the solicitors firm on April 26, 2007.