Ex-engineers face court for alleged $3.7m fraud
2003-3-19
Two former engineers of an engineering company, who were among 12 persons arrested by the ICAC yesterday during a corruption inquiry, were charged and brought to Eastern Magistracy this (Wednesday) afternoon for alleged involvement in a $3.7 million fraud .
Eric Wong Cho-tat, 40, former chief engineer of Great Eagle Engineering Company Limited (Great Eagle), and Perry Wong Hon-yin, 36, former senior engineer of Great Eagle, faced two counts of conspiracy to defraud.
No pleas were taken. Magistrate Mr David Dufton adjourned the case until May 14, 2003 for mention.
The charges alleged that Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin had conspired together and with Great Eagle's former assistant engineer, Ng Wai-kong, to defraud Great Eagle by dishonestly:
- falsely representing that Waston Electrical Engineering Company (Waston) had supplied materials and/or labour to Great Eagle; and
- causing Great Eagle to pay Waston for materials and/or labour which Waston had not in fact supplied.
The alleged offences took place between August 1995 and October 1999.
Apart from the two defendants, other persons arrested by the ICAC during the operation were eight former and a serving employees of an engineering company, and a former proprietor of another electrical engineering company, which was alleged to be a shell company under the defendants' control.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that the two defendants had corruptly conspired with other employees and material suppliers to deceive their employer with false invoices.
Enquiries into the corruption allegation are still continuing.
Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin were respectively granted cash bail of $100,000 and $50,000. They were also ordered not to leave Hong Kong, and not to interfere with prosecution witnesses.
The remaining 10 arrestees will be released on ICAC bail later today.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Richard Li.
Eric Wong Cho-tat, 40, former chief engineer of Great Eagle Engineering Company Limited (Great Eagle), and Perry Wong Hon-yin, 36, former senior engineer of Great Eagle, faced two counts of conspiracy to defraud.
No pleas were taken. Magistrate Mr David Dufton adjourned the case until May 14, 2003 for mention.
The charges alleged that Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin had conspired together and with Great Eagle's former assistant engineer, Ng Wai-kong, to defraud Great Eagle by dishonestly:
- falsely representing that Waston Electrical Engineering Company (Waston) had supplied materials and/or labour to Great Eagle; and
- causing Great Eagle to pay Waston for materials and/or labour which Waston had not in fact supplied.
The alleged offences took place between August 1995 and October 1999.
Apart from the two defendants, other persons arrested by the ICAC during the operation were eight former and a serving employees of an engineering company, and a former proprietor of another electrical engineering company, which was alleged to be a shell company under the defendants' control.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that the two defendants had corruptly conspired with other employees and material suppliers to deceive their employer with false invoices.
Enquiries into the corruption allegation are still continuing.
Wong Cho-tat and Wong Hon-yin were respectively granted cash bail of $100,000 and $50,000. They were also ordered not to leave Hong Kong, and not to interfere with prosecution witnesses.
The remaining 10 arrestees will be released on ICAC bail later today.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Richard Li.