Ex-cleaning supervisor charged as ICAC probe reveals $860,000 false attendance wage fraud
2023-1-16
The ICAC today (January 16) charged a former cleaning supervisor of a contractor of a private residential estate after it was revealed in the course of a corruption investigation by the Commission that the supervisor had allegedly deceived the contractor into paying wages totalling over $860,000 by falsifying the attendance records of three cleaning workers.
Cheng Chin-to, 63, former cleaning supervisor of Cheung Kee Environment Limited (Cheung Kee), faces six charges – two of fraud, contrary to Section 16A(1) of the Theft Ordinance; two of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law; and two of forgery, contrary to Section 71 of the Crimes Ordinance.
The defendant was released on ICAC bail, pending his appearance in the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday (January 18) for plea.
The alleged offences took place between April 2019 and January 2021. At the material time, the defendant was a cleaning supervisor of Cheung Kee, which was a cleaning services contractor of a private residential estate in Tuen Mun.
The defendant was posted to the private residential estate to supervise cleaning workers employed by Cheung Kee or supplied by its subcontractor – Beautiful Cleaning Company (Beautiful Cleaning). He was also responsible for handling their monthly attendance records for wage calculation.
It is alleged that the defendant had falsely represented to Cheung Kee and Beautiful Cleaning that a man was a cleaning worker at the private residential estate and falsified his attendance records, and with intent to defraud, induced Cheung Kee to pay wages totalling over $200,000 directly or via Beautiful Cleaning to that man.
The defendant had allegedly conspired with two other cleaning workers separately to induce Cheung Kee to pay wages in the total sum of over $660,000 to the duo by falsifying their attendance records.
In addition, the defendant had allegedly made two false job application forms in the name of the above man and one of the cleaning workers to induce Cheung Kee to accept them as genuine and that the duo had respectively applied for the posts of cleaning worker and foreman.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that the man, who was a full-time engineer at the material time, had never applied to Cheung Kee for any post. Meanwhile, the cleaning worker concerned had never applied for a foreman post or performed the duties of a foreman.
By forging the two job applications forms and falsifying the attendance records of the above three persons, the defendant had allegedly deceived Cheung Kee into paying them wages totalling over $860,000. It is also alleged that the defendant had requested two of them to return most of the wages to him.
Cheung Kee and Beautiful Cleaning have rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
Cheng Chin-to, 63, former cleaning supervisor of Cheung Kee Environment Limited (Cheung Kee), faces six charges – two of fraud, contrary to Section 16A(1) of the Theft Ordinance; two of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law; and two of forgery, contrary to Section 71 of the Crimes Ordinance.
The defendant was released on ICAC bail, pending his appearance in the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday (January 18) for plea.
The alleged offences took place between April 2019 and January 2021. At the material time, the defendant was a cleaning supervisor of Cheung Kee, which was a cleaning services contractor of a private residential estate in Tuen Mun.
The defendant was posted to the private residential estate to supervise cleaning workers employed by Cheung Kee or supplied by its subcontractor – Beautiful Cleaning Company (Beautiful Cleaning). He was also responsible for handling their monthly attendance records for wage calculation.
It is alleged that the defendant had falsely represented to Cheung Kee and Beautiful Cleaning that a man was a cleaning worker at the private residential estate and falsified his attendance records, and with intent to defraud, induced Cheung Kee to pay wages totalling over $200,000 directly or via Beautiful Cleaning to that man.
The defendant had allegedly conspired with two other cleaning workers separately to induce Cheung Kee to pay wages in the total sum of over $660,000 to the duo by falsifying their attendance records.
In addition, the defendant had allegedly made two false job application forms in the name of the above man and one of the cleaning workers to induce Cheung Kee to accept them as genuine and that the duo had respectively applied for the posts of cleaning worker and foreman.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that the man, who was a full-time engineer at the material time, had never applied to Cheung Kee for any post. Meanwhile, the cleaning worker concerned had never applied for a foreman post or performed the duties of a foreman.
By forging the two job applications forms and falsifying the attendance records of the above three persons, the defendant had allegedly deceived Cheung Kee into paying them wages totalling over $860,000. It is also alleged that the defendant had requested two of them to return most of the wages to him.
Cheung Kee and Beautiful Cleaning have rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.