Former company director gets 2 1/2 years’ jail for embezzlement and perversion offences
2002-6-27
A former marketing director responsible for promoting Chinese herbal wines and medicines manufactured in the Mainland, charged by the ICAC, was jailed for two and a half years at District Court today (Thursday) for embezzling about $600,000 company funds.
Hung Lap-chun, 37, ex-marketing director of Hong Kong Sun Moon International (Holdings) Trade Company (Sun Moon), was today found guilty of stealing $595,053.75, being the property of Zhao Guo-lin, chairman of the board of directors of Sun Moon, between A pril and August 1999.
Hung was also convicted of one count of doing an act to pervert the course of public justice in January 2000 by asking a printing contractor to cover up her fraudulent acts.
Two Mainland witnesses had come to Hong Kong to testify for the prosecution in this case, with the assistance of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Procuratorate under the Mutual Assistance Scheme with the ICAC.
Judge Day, in delivering judgment, noted that all prosecution witnesses who testified in the case were honest and reliable.
The court heard that in January 1999, Zhao set up Sun Moon in Hong Kong to promote the sales of Chinese herbal wines and medicines produced by a company he owned in the Mainland.
The defendant was responsible for overseeing the company’s operation, and entrusted by Zhao to arrange for the printing of packaging boxes.
In June 1999, the defendant reached an agreement with the general manager of Hang Sing Printing and Design Company Limited (Hang Sing), Lee Hiu-lung, that Hang Sing would be awarded printing contracts at a total price of $997,050.
The defendant also asked Lee to give her some blank letterhead papers of Hang Sing, some of which were signed by Lee and affixed with Hang Sing’s company chop.
These blank letterhead papers were subsequently used to fabricate sales contracts with printing prices inflated by $278,122 in total.
Believing the contracts were genuine, Zhao paid the defendant a total of $1,284,482.75 for settling the printing payments.
However, the defendant only paid Lee $689,429 and pocketed the remaining amount.
The court also heard that in order to conceal her scam, the defendant requested Lee to falsely represent to Zhao that he was yet to issue an invoice of $278,122 to the defendant. The amount was the inflated contract price. Lee rejected her request.
The prosecution was today represented by Juliana Chow on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Whammy Yu.
Hung Lap-chun, 37, ex-marketing director of Hong Kong Sun Moon International (Holdings) Trade Company (Sun Moon), was today found guilty of stealing $595,053.75, being the property of Zhao Guo-lin, chairman of the board of directors of Sun Moon, between A pril and August 1999.
Hung was also convicted of one count of doing an act to pervert the course of public justice in January 2000 by asking a printing contractor to cover up her fraudulent acts.
Two Mainland witnesses had come to Hong Kong to testify for the prosecution in this case, with the assistance of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Procuratorate under the Mutual Assistance Scheme with the ICAC.
Judge Day, in delivering judgment, noted that all prosecution witnesses who testified in the case were honest and reliable.
The court heard that in January 1999, Zhao set up Sun Moon in Hong Kong to promote the sales of Chinese herbal wines and medicines produced by a company he owned in the Mainland.
The defendant was responsible for overseeing the company’s operation, and entrusted by Zhao to arrange for the printing of packaging boxes.
In June 1999, the defendant reached an agreement with the general manager of Hang Sing Printing and Design Company Limited (Hang Sing), Lee Hiu-lung, that Hang Sing would be awarded printing contracts at a total price of $997,050.
The defendant also asked Lee to give her some blank letterhead papers of Hang Sing, some of which were signed by Lee and affixed with Hang Sing’s company chop.
These blank letterhead papers were subsequently used to fabricate sales contracts with printing prices inflated by $278,122 in total.
Believing the contracts were genuine, Zhao paid the defendant a total of $1,284,482.75 for settling the printing payments.
However, the defendant only paid Lee $689,429 and pocketed the remaining amount.
The court also heard that in order to conceal her scam, the defendant requested Lee to falsely represent to Zhao that he was yet to issue an invoice of $278,122 to the defendant. The amount was the inflated contract price. Lee rejected her request.
The prosecution was today represented by Juliana Chow on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Whammy Yu.