Law student admits plot over forged examination results
2007-7-30
A law student of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), charged by the ICAC, today (Monday) admitted at the District Court that he had forged examination result slips and used them to deceive the university.
Cheng Sing-ho, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a false instrument and one of forgery. The remaining charge of forgery against him was placed on court file.
Judge Chua Fi-lan remanded the defendant in the custody of Correctional Services Department until August 13, 2007 for sentence, pending detention centre, community service order, psychological and psychiatric reports.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
At the time of the offences, the defendant was an undergraduate student of the HKU's Faculty of Law.
The court heard that when the defendant finished his third academic year in July 2006, he sent an e-mail to the assistant registrar of the faculty, challenging the accuracy of the examination result slip he received from the university.
The defendant claimed that the Cumulative Grade Point Average shown on the examination result slip did not tally with those shown on the result slips he had received in the previous two academic years and in the first semester of year 3.
The defendant told the assistant registrar that the "miscalculation" might have been due to "technical errors" in the faculty's computer system.
The assistant registrar eventually discovered that the examination result slips for year 2 and the first semester of year 3 kept in the student file of the defendant had been replaced with false result slips, which were forged by the defendant.
The court heard that on July 12, 2006, the defendant, upon request of the assistant registrar, met a professor of the Department of Law at HKU.
During the meeting, the defendant gave the professor two false examination result slips dated June 23, 2004 and June 17, 2005, with the intention of inducing the professor to accept them as genuine.
The two false result slips concerned bore the same altered results as those found in his student file, the court was told.
The court also heard that on May 28, 2005, the defendant failed to attend an examination for "Administrative Law".
The defendant falsely claimed to the faculty that he was unable to attend the examination due to a "technical problem" of a lift at the building at which he was residing. The defendant had claimed that he was trapped in the lift when the problem occurred .
To support his claim, the defendant submitted to the faculty a letter purportedly issued by the property management company of the building in July 2005.
Inquiries revealed that the property management company had not issued the aforesaid letter, nor had there been any reported lift failure on that day.
HKU had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Government Counsel Michael Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Jamie Fung.
Cheng Sing-ho, 23, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a false instrument and one of forgery. The remaining charge of forgery against him was placed on court file.
Judge Chua Fi-lan remanded the defendant in the custody of Correctional Services Department until August 13, 2007 for sentence, pending detention centre, community service order, psychological and psychiatric reports.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
At the time of the offences, the defendant was an undergraduate student of the HKU's Faculty of Law.
The court heard that when the defendant finished his third academic year in July 2006, he sent an e-mail to the assistant registrar of the faculty, challenging the accuracy of the examination result slip he received from the university.
The defendant claimed that the Cumulative Grade Point Average shown on the examination result slip did not tally with those shown on the result slips he had received in the previous two academic years and in the first semester of year 3.
The defendant told the assistant registrar that the "miscalculation" might have been due to "technical errors" in the faculty's computer system.
The assistant registrar eventually discovered that the examination result slips for year 2 and the first semester of year 3 kept in the student file of the defendant had been replaced with false result slips, which were forged by the defendant.
The court heard that on July 12, 2006, the defendant, upon request of the assistant registrar, met a professor of the Department of Law at HKU.
During the meeting, the defendant gave the professor two false examination result slips dated June 23, 2004 and June 17, 2005, with the intention of inducing the professor to accept them as genuine.
The two false result slips concerned bore the same altered results as those found in his student file, the court was told.
The court also heard that on May 28, 2005, the defendant failed to attend an examination for "Administrative Law".
The defendant falsely claimed to the faculty that he was unable to attend the examination due to a "technical problem" of a lift at the building at which he was residing. The defendant had claimed that he was trapped in the lift when the problem occurred .
To support his claim, the defendant submitted to the faculty a letter purportedly issued by the property management company of the building in July 2005.
Inquiries revealed that the property management company had not issued the aforesaid letter, nor had there been any reported lift failure on that day.
HKU had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Government Counsel Michael Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Jamie Fung.