Airline staff and three others charged in ticket scam
2000-10-24
Six persons, including three employees of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Cathay Pacific), were charged by the ICAC for their alleged roles in an airplane ticket scam which caused the company to suffer $170,000 financial losses.
The defendants were : Lau Wai-ho, 25, IMT Sect Systems Delivery of Cathay Pacific; Ng Wing-ling, 42 and Pang Chi-wah, 37, respectively Team Executive (Training & Planning Co-ordinator) and Programmer of Cathay Pacific; Liew Sau-foong, 33, vice president o f Head od Compliance Asia; Chan Shun-shing (previously known as Chan Su-wai), 32, managing director of EC Paragon Search Limited; and Li Kwok-wah, 48, salesman.
They were said to have conspired to deceive Cathay Pacific into issuing concessionary tickets to unqualified persons.
It was also alleged that the defendants had used bogus solicitor letters to falsely represent that those unqualified persons were adopted brothers and sisters of Lau.
The six defendants appeared at Eastern Court today (Tuesday) on a total of three conspiracy charges.
No pleas were taken. Magistrate Mr Timothy Casewell adjourned the case to November 21, 2000 for mention. Liew was granted bail of $20,000 in cash and was ordered not to leave Hong Kong, while the remaining defendants were each granted bail of $10,000 in cash.
According to the Cathay Pacific's Concessional Travel Policy (the Policy), unmarried employees are entitled to nominate two family
members as travel nominees and a friend as travel companion for discounted airline tickets.
The employees are required to submit nomination forms and obtain approval from Cathay Pacific.
The ICAC commenced investigation after receiving a corruption complaint alleging that a Cathay Pacific employee might have accepted advantages for abusing the conscessionary system.
ICAC investigations revealed that the defendants were allegedly involved in a scam under which Lau had nominated several people whom he had never met or was not related to, to be his travel nominees or companions.
The first charge alleged Lau, Pang Chi-wah and Li Kwok-wah of conspiring to defraud Cathay Pacific by falsely representing that Li was a legitimate travel companion of Lau.
Lau, Ng Wing-ling and Chan Shun-shing were also charged with a similar conspiracy offence by falsely representing that Chan and Davina Tang Tak-wai were respectively the adopted brother and adopted sister of Lau.
A third charge alleged Lau, Ng, Chan and Liew of conspiring with Ooi Iu-aik and others to defraud the airline company by falsely representing that Chan and Lynette Hung Mei-man were respectively the adopted brother and adopted sister of Lau.
As a result, Cathay Pacific issued various concessionary tickets to Li, Chan, Tang and Hung, and suffered financial losses of $170,280 in total.
The alleged offences took place between April 1998 and May 1999.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Liu Yuen-ming, assisted by ICAC officer Alfred Chan.
The defendants were : Lau Wai-ho, 25, IMT Sect Systems Delivery of Cathay Pacific; Ng Wing-ling, 42 and Pang Chi-wah, 37, respectively Team Executive (Training & Planning Co-ordinator) and Programmer of Cathay Pacific; Liew Sau-foong, 33, vice president o f Head od Compliance Asia; Chan Shun-shing (previously known as Chan Su-wai), 32, managing director of EC Paragon Search Limited; and Li Kwok-wah, 48, salesman.
They were said to have conspired to deceive Cathay Pacific into issuing concessionary tickets to unqualified persons.
It was also alleged that the defendants had used bogus solicitor letters to falsely represent that those unqualified persons were adopted brothers and sisters of Lau.
The six defendants appeared at Eastern Court today (Tuesday) on a total of three conspiracy charges.
No pleas were taken. Magistrate Mr Timothy Casewell adjourned the case to November 21, 2000 for mention. Liew was granted bail of $20,000 in cash and was ordered not to leave Hong Kong, while the remaining defendants were each granted bail of $10,000 in cash.
According to the Cathay Pacific's Concessional Travel Policy (the Policy), unmarried employees are entitled to nominate two family
members as travel nominees and a friend as travel companion for discounted airline tickets.
The employees are required to submit nomination forms and obtain approval from Cathay Pacific.
The ICAC commenced investigation after receiving a corruption complaint alleging that a Cathay Pacific employee might have accepted advantages for abusing the conscessionary system.
ICAC investigations revealed that the defendants were allegedly involved in a scam under which Lau had nominated several people whom he had never met or was not related to, to be his travel nominees or companions.
The first charge alleged Lau, Pang Chi-wah and Li Kwok-wah of conspiring to defraud Cathay Pacific by falsely representing that Li was a legitimate travel companion of Lau.
Lau, Ng Wing-ling and Chan Shun-shing were also charged with a similar conspiracy offence by falsely representing that Chan and Davina Tang Tak-wai were respectively the adopted brother and adopted sister of Lau.
A third charge alleged Lau, Ng, Chan and Liew of conspiring with Ooi Iu-aik and others to defraud the airline company by falsely representing that Chan and Lynette Hung Mei-man were respectively the adopted brother and adopted sister of Lau.
As a result, Cathay Pacific issued various concessionary tickets to Li, Chan, Tang and Hung, and suffered financial losses of $170,280 in total.
The alleged offences took place between April 1998 and May 1999.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Liu Yuen-ming, assisted by ICAC officer Alfred Chan.