Ex-Tsuen Wan District Councillor admits fraud over false claims of DC funds
2008-3-17
A former member of the Tsuen Wan District Council (TWDC), charged by the ICAC, today (Monday) admitted that he had made false claims for his councillor assistant’s salaries totalling $93,000 from TWDC.
Wu Ki-fook, 69, today pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud at the Tsuen Wan Magistracy.
Magistrate Mr Andrew Ma adjourned sentencing to April 7, 2008, pending the defendant’s background and community service order reports, and allowed the defendant cash bail of $5,000.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the fraudulent claims.
The court heard that the defendant was a District Councillor of TWDC between January 1, 2000 and September 30, 2003. He was eligible to claim reimbursement of expenses incurred by employing councillor assistants for running his ward office.
According to guidelines issued by the Home Affairs Department, a District Councillor is not allowed to apply for reimbursement for employing his relatives as councillor assistants.
The court heard that between July 2002 and September 2003, the defendant employed his daughter-in-law as his councillor assistant at a monthly salary of $6,000 and a year-end bonus of $3,000.
The defendant had falsely represented in the Operating Expenses Allowance Reimbursement Forms submitted to TWDC Secretariat that the councillor assistant he employed was not his relative.
As a result of the false representation, TWDC Secretariat was induced into approving 15 reimbursement applications submitted by the defendant, and issuing to him allowances totalling $93,000, being the salaries paid to his daughter-in-law.
Had TWDC Secretariat known that the councillor assistant was a relative of the defendant, it would not have approved the applications.
The case was represented by prosecuting counsel Bernard Yuen, assisted by ICAC officer Ng Hon-hei.
Wu Ki-fook, 69, today pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud at the Tsuen Wan Magistracy.
Magistrate Mr Andrew Ma adjourned sentencing to April 7, 2008, pending the defendant’s background and community service order reports, and allowed the defendant cash bail of $5,000.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the fraudulent claims.
The court heard that the defendant was a District Councillor of TWDC between January 1, 2000 and September 30, 2003. He was eligible to claim reimbursement of expenses incurred by employing councillor assistants for running his ward office.
According to guidelines issued by the Home Affairs Department, a District Councillor is not allowed to apply for reimbursement for employing his relatives as councillor assistants.
The court heard that between July 2002 and September 2003, the defendant employed his daughter-in-law as his councillor assistant at a monthly salary of $6,000 and a year-end bonus of $3,000.
The defendant had falsely represented in the Operating Expenses Allowance Reimbursement Forms submitted to TWDC Secretariat that the councillor assistant he employed was not his relative.
As a result of the false representation, TWDC Secretariat was induced into approving 15 reimbursement applications submitted by the defendant, and issuing to him allowances totalling $93,000, being the salaries paid to his daughter-in-law.
Had TWDC Secretariat known that the councillor assistant was a relative of the defendant, it would not have approved the applications.
The case was represented by prosecuting counsel Bernard Yuen, assisted by ICAC officer Ng Hon-hei.