18 months for Assistant Professor and wife convicted of housing fraud
2000-6-23
An Assistant Professor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and his wife, charged by the ICAC, were today (Friday) each sentenced to 18 months ' imprisonment for using false declarations to obtain housing allowances totalling $2.5 million.
Hau Kam-chor, 48, of the university's Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, was earlier found guilty on five counts of using false documents to deceive his principal under Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Hau ' s wife Yiu Lai-ha was found guilty on five counts of aiding and abetting Hau.
Yiu was further convicted of two counts of using a false Instrument of Transfer and a false Sold Note in June 1998.
Judge Maggie Poon said this was a well-planned and elaborate plan, adding that the defendants ' educational background was not a factor for consideration in sentencing.
The judge also ordered the defendants to return $1.4 million to the University within six months.
The court heard that between July 1989 and June 1997, Hau had used Private Tenancy Allowance (PTA) from the university to lease a flat in which he and his wife had a financial interest.
Hau falsely declared on applications for PTA that the property was not owned by him or Yiu and that neither he, Yiu nor any of Yiu ' s relations had a financial interest in the leased property.
The court was told that the property at Heng Fa Chuen, Chai Wan, was owned by a company of which the major shareholder was Hau ' s grandmother. Yiu was the company ' s secretary, who controlled the company's bank account.
Hau ' s grandmother passed away in November 1997.
On June 23, 1998, Yiu used a false Instrument of Transfer and a false Sold Note, dated October 1, 1997, to transfer the company shares held by Hau ' s grandmother to a nominee company. Yiu had instructed the nominee company to hold the shares on her behalf.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Liu Yuen-ming, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Li Wai-keung.
Hau Kam-chor, 48, of the university's Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, was earlier found guilty on five counts of using false documents to deceive his principal under Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
Hau ' s wife Yiu Lai-ha was found guilty on five counts of aiding and abetting Hau.
Yiu was further convicted of two counts of using a false Instrument of Transfer and a false Sold Note in June 1998.
Judge Maggie Poon said this was a well-planned and elaborate plan, adding that the defendants ' educational background was not a factor for consideration in sentencing.
The judge also ordered the defendants to return $1.4 million to the University within six months.
The court heard that between July 1989 and June 1997, Hau had used Private Tenancy Allowance (PTA) from the university to lease a flat in which he and his wife had a financial interest.
Hau falsely declared on applications for PTA that the property was not owned by him or Yiu and that neither he, Yiu nor any of Yiu ' s relations had a financial interest in the leased property.
The court was told that the property at Heng Fa Chuen, Chai Wan, was owned by a company of which the major shareholder was Hau ' s grandmother. Yiu was the company ' s secretary, who controlled the company's bank account.
Hau ' s grandmother passed away in November 1997.
On June 23, 1998, Yiu used a false Instrument of Transfer and a false Sold Note, dated October 1, 1997, to transfer the company shares held by Hau ' s grandmother to a nominee company. Yiu had instructed the nominee company to hold the shares on her behalf.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Liu Yuen-ming, assisted by ICAC officer Daniel Li Wai-keung.