A Programme Officer of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and his wife were today (Monday) charged by the ICAC for allegedly deceiving about $210,000 over the implementation of a computerized music system for RTHK.

George Mak Che-kin, 37, and his wife Anita So Wing-kum, 31, will appear at Kowloon City Magistracy at 9:30 am tomorrow (Tuesday) to face a total of 12 charges .

Mak faces 11 offences. Five of the charges alleged him of dishonestly falsifying RTHK records used for accounting purposes, that is for processing payment of fees to artists and casual contributors engaged by RTHK.

Mak was accused of making false entries in these records to purportedly show that various persons had rendered services to RTHK and were entitled to be paid $18,692 in total.

Mak was also charged with five counts of fraud which alleged him of falsely representing to RTHK that a number of persons had rendered services to RTHK and causing RTHK to make payments totalling $228,949 to such persons.

Mak was further charged with one count of dishonestly obtaining $1,274 from a freelance typist by deception.

So faces one count of fraud charge. She was alleged to have, together with Mak, falsely represented to RTHK that a freelancer had rendered services to RTHK, and induced RTHK to commit an act which resulted in benefit to So, being monies obtained from pay ments of $76,857 made by the SAR Government to the freelancer.

The alleged offences took place between March 1999 and December 2000.

The couple has been released on ICAC bail, pending their court appearances tomorrow.