Ex-CUHK Associate Professor gets four months for $1.5m housing allowance fraud
2004-12-2
A former Associate Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was today (Thursday) sentenced to four months' imprisonment at District Court for deceiving $1.5 million housing allowance from the university.
Paul Chan Wing-yiu, 52, earlier pleaded guilty to five counts of agent using a document with intent to deceive his principal, contrary to Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
In sentencing, Judge Fergal Sweeney reprimanded the defendant for premeditating the fraud, which lasted a long period of time.
At the time of the offences, Chan was an Associate Professor of the School of Accountancy of CUHK.
The court heard that between June 1993 and December 1998, the defendant had filed four applications for Private Tenancy Allowance (PTA) to CUHK in respect of a residential flat at South Horizons, Apleichau, and subsequently obtained PTA allowance totallin g $1.5 million from the University.
Chan had declared in his applications that neither he, his spouse nor any of his or his spouse's relations had a financial interest in the leased property.
ICAC investigation revealed that the registered owner of the property was a company which was controlled by the defendant, his relatives and his spouse's relatives.
The court also heard that in another document in relation to information of the landlord of the property which Chan submitted to CUHK, he had declared that none of the persons named in the document was his spouse, his or his spouse's relations.
The defendant left Hong Kong for Australia in July 2000 before the ICAC investigation turned overt.
On July 22, 2002, a warrant for his arrest was issued by a court in Hong Kong.
Chan was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in Melbourne on May 3 this year at the request of the Hong Kong Government.
On August 13 this year, the Australian Minister for Justice and Customs signed a surrender warrant for the return of Chan.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Winnie Ho, assisted by ICAC officer Samson Wong.
Paul Chan Wing-yiu, 52, earlier pleaded guilty to five counts of agent using a document with intent to deceive his principal, contrary to Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.
In sentencing, Judge Fergal Sweeney reprimanded the defendant for premeditating the fraud, which lasted a long period of time.
At the time of the offences, Chan was an Associate Professor of the School of Accountancy of CUHK.
The court heard that between June 1993 and December 1998, the defendant had filed four applications for Private Tenancy Allowance (PTA) to CUHK in respect of a residential flat at South Horizons, Apleichau, and subsequently obtained PTA allowance totallin g $1.5 million from the University.
Chan had declared in his applications that neither he, his spouse nor any of his or his spouse's relations had a financial interest in the leased property.
ICAC investigation revealed that the registered owner of the property was a company which was controlled by the defendant, his relatives and his spouse's relatives.
The court also heard that in another document in relation to information of the landlord of the property which Chan submitted to CUHK, he had declared that none of the persons named in the document was his spouse, his or his spouse's relations.
The defendant left Hong Kong for Australia in July 2000 before the ICAC investigation turned overt.
On July 22, 2002, a warrant for his arrest was issued by a court in Hong Kong.
Chan was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in Melbourne on May 3 this year at the request of the Hong Kong Government.
On August 13 this year, the Australian Minister for Justice and Customs signed a surrender warrant for the return of Chan.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Winnie Ho, assisted by ICAC officer Samson Wong.