Two years' jail for deceiving Employees Retraining Board of $160,000 allowances
2001-7-27
A former project manager of a community centre was today (Friday) jailed for two years at District Court for deceiving the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) of about $160,000 in allowances and tutor fees by falsely representing that his girlfriend and his mother had taught retraining courses.
Yiu Sai-hoi, 32, former project manager of the Holy Carpenter Church Community Centre (HCCCC) and partner of Sun Way Office Systems (Sun Way), earlier pleaded guilty before Judge Li to a total of 22 offences.
The HCCCC is funded by the ERB to conduct employee retraining courses, while Sun Way rented computers to HCCCC for running the courses.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that Yiu might have obtained employment with HCCCC through bribery. ICAC enquiries revealed the conspiracy and forgery offences.
The court heard that between December 1996 and December 1997, Yiu had, on seven occasions, submitted request forms to the HCCCC.
With the alleged knowledge and consent of Bonny Lee Tat-shing, Yiu falsely represented in such forms that his mother Leung Kit-lei was entitled to $42,720 in tutor fees of Chinese computer courses.
Lee was then the person in charge of the overall operation and management of HCCCC.
The court heard that on May 1, 1999, Yiu further conspired to falsely claim to HCCCC that Leung was entitled to $54,139 in rewards, salary or commission as a part-time co-ordinator of summer tutorial classes. In fact, Leung did not perform any duty.
Between April and October 1999, Yiu submitted nine request forms to the HCCCC, falsely representing that his girlfriend Leung Yuet-ming was still a tutor of training courses and was entitled to $63,100 in tutor fees or placement follow-up expenses. Inves tigations revealed that by that time, Leung Yuet-ming had stopped teaching training courses.
The court heard that Yiu had falsified a letter of certification purportedly issued by the Chinese University in the name of Leung Yuet-ming, to apply for a post of course tutor on her behalf.
The court also heard that Yiu had made a joint purchase of 40 computer sets in the end of 1997.
Between January 1998 and January 2000, Yiu conspired to arrange Sun Way to enter into agreements with HCCCC to run retraining computer courses and to rent those computer sets they had purchased to HCCCC.
Yiu had concealed his financial interest in the company and the true ownership of the computers for rent. Through his dishonest arrangements, Yiu made a profit.
Meanwhile, Lee was earlier charged by the ICAC with a total of 25 offences, including four counts of conspiracy to defraud and 21 counts of procuring the making of an entry in a record of a bank by deception.
He will appear in District Court on August 16 for plea.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Christal Chan, assisted by ICAC officer Alan Pang Ying-yu.
Yiu Sai-hoi, 32, former project manager of the Holy Carpenter Church Community Centre (HCCCC) and partner of Sun Way Office Systems (Sun Way), earlier pleaded guilty before Judge Li to a total of 22 offences.
The HCCCC is funded by the ERB to conduct employee retraining courses, while Sun Way rented computers to HCCCC for running the courses.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that Yiu might have obtained employment with HCCCC through bribery. ICAC enquiries revealed the conspiracy and forgery offences.
The court heard that between December 1996 and December 1997, Yiu had, on seven occasions, submitted request forms to the HCCCC.
With the alleged knowledge and consent of Bonny Lee Tat-shing, Yiu falsely represented in such forms that his mother Leung Kit-lei was entitled to $42,720 in tutor fees of Chinese computer courses.
Lee was then the person in charge of the overall operation and management of HCCCC.
The court heard that on May 1, 1999, Yiu further conspired to falsely claim to HCCCC that Leung was entitled to $54,139 in rewards, salary or commission as a part-time co-ordinator of summer tutorial classes. In fact, Leung did not perform any duty.
Between April and October 1999, Yiu submitted nine request forms to the HCCCC, falsely representing that his girlfriend Leung Yuet-ming was still a tutor of training courses and was entitled to $63,100 in tutor fees or placement follow-up expenses. Inves tigations revealed that by that time, Leung Yuet-ming had stopped teaching training courses.
The court heard that Yiu had falsified a letter of certification purportedly issued by the Chinese University in the name of Leung Yuet-ming, to apply for a post of course tutor on her behalf.
The court also heard that Yiu had made a joint purchase of 40 computer sets in the end of 1997.
Between January 1998 and January 2000, Yiu conspired to arrange Sun Way to enter into agreements with HCCCC to run retraining computer courses and to rent those computer sets they had purchased to HCCCC.
Yiu had concealed his financial interest in the company and the true ownership of the computers for rent. Through his dishonest arrangements, Yiu made a profit.
Meanwhile, Lee was earlier charged by the ICAC with a total of 25 offences, including four counts of conspiracy to defraud and 21 counts of procuring the making of an entry in a record of a bank by deception.
He will appear in District Court on August 16 for plea.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Christal Chan, assisted by ICAC officer Alan Pang Ying-yu.