Six sentenced for 'small house' fraud
2002-5-27
Six persons were today (Monday) sentenced to community service up to 240 hours and fined for cheating the government over the rights to build small houses in the New Territories.
The defendants were Wong Pit-wah, 30, warehouse keeper; Conway Wong Pit-man, 32, clerk; Wong Pit-chuen, 34, clerk; Wong Chi-chiu, 27, maintenance worker; Wong Chi-kwong, 31, roast meat worker; and Wong Siu-cheung, 28, hair stylist.
Wong Pit-wah and Wong Siu-cheung were respectively ordered to perform 240 hours and 200 hours of community service, and fined $45,000 and $20,000.
The remaining four defendants were each sentenced to 180 hours of community service and fined $15,000.
Tuen Mun Magistrate Mr Stephen Smout said the offences committed by the defendants were serious, but taking into account their remorsefulness, guilty pleas and the commission of the offences at a young age, community services and fines were imposed.
The case was uncovered during a corruption enquiry earlier this year.
Wong Pit-wah earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud the Yuen Long District Lands Office (DLO) of the Lands Department, while the prosecution offered no evidence to three other similar charges against him.
The remaining defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud Yuen Long DLO.
The court heard that Wong Pit-wah was approached by Lai King-wah, who asked him to help fill in documents for small house applications and made false declaration regarding his status as an indigenous villager of Yuen Kong Tsuen.
Wong Pit-wah later also recruited his two brothers, Wong Pit-man and Wong Pit-chuen, and his friends Wong Chi-chiu, Wong Chi-kwong and Wong Siu-cheung, to assist in making false claims as indigenous villagers of Yuen Kong Tsuen, Shui Tsan Tin Tsuen or Nga u Keng Tsuen for applications to DLO for constructing small houses.
The court also heard that the defendants were offered monetary rewards ranging from $1,000 to $40,000 to act as indigenous villagers.
On the belief that the defendants had genuine "ding" rights, the Yuen Long DLO approved or processed the relevant applications for constructing small houses.
The offences took place between January 1993 and March 2002.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Wendy Au.
The defendants were Wong Pit-wah, 30, warehouse keeper; Conway Wong Pit-man, 32, clerk; Wong Pit-chuen, 34, clerk; Wong Chi-chiu, 27, maintenance worker; Wong Chi-kwong, 31, roast meat worker; and Wong Siu-cheung, 28, hair stylist.
Wong Pit-wah and Wong Siu-cheung were respectively ordered to perform 240 hours and 200 hours of community service, and fined $45,000 and $20,000.
The remaining four defendants were each sentenced to 180 hours of community service and fined $15,000.
Tuen Mun Magistrate Mr Stephen Smout said the offences committed by the defendants were serious, but taking into account their remorsefulness, guilty pleas and the commission of the offences at a young age, community services and fines were imposed.
The case was uncovered during a corruption enquiry earlier this year.
Wong Pit-wah earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud the Yuen Long District Lands Office (DLO) of the Lands Department, while the prosecution offered no evidence to three other similar charges against him.
The remaining defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud Yuen Long DLO.
The court heard that Wong Pit-wah was approached by Lai King-wah, who asked him to help fill in documents for small house applications and made false declaration regarding his status as an indigenous villager of Yuen Kong Tsuen.
Wong Pit-wah later also recruited his two brothers, Wong Pit-man and Wong Pit-chuen, and his friends Wong Chi-chiu, Wong Chi-kwong and Wong Siu-cheung, to assist in making false claims as indigenous villagers of Yuen Kong Tsuen, Shui Tsan Tin Tsuen or Nga u Keng Tsuen for applications to DLO for constructing small houses.
The court also heard that the defendants were offered monetary rewards ranging from $1,000 to $40,000 to act as indigenous villagers.
On the belief that the defendants had genuine "ding" rights, the Yuen Long DLO approved or processed the relevant applications for constructing small houses.
The offences took place between January 1993 and March 2002.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Wendy Au.