A former member of the Tsuen Wan District Council (TWDC) has been arrested and charged by the ICAC for alleged fraud in relation to false claims of his councillor assistant’s salaries totalling $93,000 from TWDC.

Wu Ki-fook, 69, will appear in Tsuen Wan Magistracy at 9:30 am on Friday (January 18) on 15 counts of fraud.

The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the alleged fraudulent claims.

The charges allege that between August 2002 and October 2003, Wu, by deceit, had falsely represented in the Operating Expenses Allowance (OEA) Reimbursement Forms that his councillor assistant was not his relative within the meaning of the Revised Guideli nes on Reimbursement of OEA for members of District Councils.

Wu, with intent to defraud, is alleged to have induced the TWDC Secretariat to approve the reimbursement applications for a total of $93,000 being the salaries paid to a person who was in fact the daughter-in-law of Wu, resulting in benefit to him.

The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance on Friday.