Ex-Police Station Sergeant charged by ICAC jailed for 22 months over $520,000 unauthorised loans and fraud
2023-10-3
A then Police Station Sergeant, charged by the ICAC, was today (October 3) sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment at the District Court after admitting that he had solicited and accepted unauthorised loans totalling about $440,000 from three former colleagues, committed perversion in respect of ICAC investigation, and defrauded the Police and the Hong Kong Police Credit Union (HKPCU) of over $80,000.
Then Police Station Sergeant Wong Chi-ming, 54, pleaded guilty to a total of 11 charges — five of prescribed officer accepting an advantage, three of prescribed officer soliciting an advantage, one of agent using document with intent to deceive his principal, one of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, and one of fraud, contrary to the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, the Common Law and the Theft Ordinance. Five other similar charges against him were left on file at the District Court.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Ms Ada Yim Shun-yee said that she took a starting point of three years’ imprisonment and reduced the jail term to 22 months in view of the defendant’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors.
In early December 2020, the defendant was posted to a Patrol Sub-Unit of Tin Sum Division. Prior to this posting, he was attached to a Patrol Sub-Unit of Kwai Chung Division.
The court heard that between May 2020 and April 2021, the defendant accepted five unauthorised loans totalling $330,000 from two former subordinate Police Constables (PCs) in the Kwai Chung Division. During the period, he also solicited two other loans totalling about $30,000 from one of the former subordinate PCs and a loan of $80,000 from an Inspector of Police, who was his former supervisor. But the duo did not accede to the defendant’s solicitations.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the Police. On April 7, 2021, ICAC officers conducted a cautioned interview with the defendant, who subsequently in that evening instructed one of the abovementioned former subordinate PCs to delete phone messages in relation to his loans. Afterwards, the defendant, with intent to pervert the course of public justice, further instructed the former subordinate PC to make a false statement to the ICAC to conceal his loans.
ICAC enquiries also revealed that in mid-December 2018, the defendant applied to the Police for early retirement and re-employment on agreement terms. In this regard, he was required to declare his financial obligations under the scheme. At that time, the defendant had incurred outstanding debts totalling about $1.4 million owed to various banking and financial institutions, but he falsely represented in his declaration of financial obligation that he had no outstanding financial obligations. Had the Police known that the declaration contained false information, it would not have approved the defendant’s application.
When the defendant applied to the HKPCU for a loan in September 2020, the defendant also falsely represented that he had not applied for loans from other banking or financial institutions. ICAC enquiries revealed that at that time, the defendant’s outstanding debts owed to banking and financial institutions amounted to over $1.2 million. The HKPCU would not have approved and granted him a loan of over $80,000 had it known that he had provided false information.
The Police and HKPCU had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Noelle Aileen Chit, assisted by ICAC officer Berek Fung.
The ICAC has been working closely with government departments, through education and publicity, to remind civil servants to uphold integrity and honesty, and strictly adhere to the POBO as well as the Civil Service Regulations on money borrowing.
Then Police Station Sergeant Wong Chi-ming, 54, pleaded guilty to a total of 11 charges — five of prescribed officer accepting an advantage, three of prescribed officer soliciting an advantage, one of agent using document with intent to deceive his principal, one of doing acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, and one of fraud, contrary to the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, the Common Law and the Theft Ordinance. Five other similar charges against him were left on file at the District Court.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Ms Ada Yim Shun-yee said that she took a starting point of three years’ imprisonment and reduced the jail term to 22 months in view of the defendant’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors.
In early December 2020, the defendant was posted to a Patrol Sub-Unit of Tin Sum Division. Prior to this posting, he was attached to a Patrol Sub-Unit of Kwai Chung Division.
The court heard that between May 2020 and April 2021, the defendant accepted five unauthorised loans totalling $330,000 from two former subordinate Police Constables (PCs) in the Kwai Chung Division. During the period, he also solicited two other loans totalling about $30,000 from one of the former subordinate PCs and a loan of $80,000 from an Inspector of Police, who was his former supervisor. But the duo did not accede to the defendant’s solicitations.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the Police. On April 7, 2021, ICAC officers conducted a cautioned interview with the defendant, who subsequently in that evening instructed one of the abovementioned former subordinate PCs to delete phone messages in relation to his loans. Afterwards, the defendant, with intent to pervert the course of public justice, further instructed the former subordinate PC to make a false statement to the ICAC to conceal his loans.
ICAC enquiries also revealed that in mid-December 2018, the defendant applied to the Police for early retirement and re-employment on agreement terms. In this regard, he was required to declare his financial obligations under the scheme. At that time, the defendant had incurred outstanding debts totalling about $1.4 million owed to various banking and financial institutions, but he falsely represented in his declaration of financial obligation that he had no outstanding financial obligations. Had the Police known that the declaration contained false information, it would not have approved the defendant’s application.
When the defendant applied to the HKPCU for a loan in September 2020, the defendant also falsely represented that he had not applied for loans from other banking or financial institutions. ICAC enquiries revealed that at that time, the defendant’s outstanding debts owed to banking and financial institutions amounted to over $1.2 million. The HKPCU would not have approved and granted him a loan of over $80,000 had it known that he had provided false information.
The Police and HKPCU had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Noelle Aileen Chit, assisted by ICAC officer Berek Fung.
The ICAC has been working closely with government departments, through education and publicity, to remind civil servants to uphold integrity and honesty, and strictly adhere to the POBO as well as the Civil Service Regulations on money borrowing.