Wanchai DC member charged for alleged fraud and misconduct over false claims of DC funds
2008-4-16
A member of the Wanchai District Council (WDC) has been charged by the ICAC for alleged fraud and misconduct in relation to false claims of Operating Expenses Allowance (OEA) from WDC.
Lee Kai-hung, 48, will appear in Eastern Magistracy at 9:30 am tomorrow (Thursday) on seven counts of fraud and one count of misconduct in public office.
Six of the fraud charges allege that Lee, with intent to defraud, had overstated the salaries of four of his councillor assistants by $23,149 in the OEA Reimbursement Forms, and by deceit, induced the WDC Secretariat to grant him OEA allowances.
The remaining fraud charge alleges Lee of making false representation to WDC Secretariat that an individual had been employed by him as a councillor assistant while in fact that person was employed by Lee as his secretary to handle his private insurance b usiness. Lee was reimbursed $6,000 by WDC Secretariat, being salary of that individual for one month.
The alleged offences took place between February 12, 2004 and February 27, 2007.
The OEA is provided for district councillors to meet expenses wholly and solely for discharging District Council duties, including hiring councilor assistants and running ward offices.
The misconduct charge alleges that between January 2004 and March 2007, Lee, being a public officer, in the course of or in relation to his public office, willfully and intentionally culpably misconducted himself by assigning non-District Council duties t o councillor assistants, whose salaries totalling $176,000 were reimbursed by the OEA.
The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance tomorrow.
Lee Kai-hung, 48, will appear in Eastern Magistracy at 9:30 am tomorrow (Thursday) on seven counts of fraud and one count of misconduct in public office.
Six of the fraud charges allege that Lee, with intent to defraud, had overstated the salaries of four of his councillor assistants by $23,149 in the OEA Reimbursement Forms, and by deceit, induced the WDC Secretariat to grant him OEA allowances.
The remaining fraud charge alleges Lee of making false representation to WDC Secretariat that an individual had been employed by him as a councillor assistant while in fact that person was employed by Lee as his secretary to handle his private insurance b usiness. Lee was reimbursed $6,000 by WDC Secretariat, being salary of that individual for one month.
The alleged offences took place between February 12, 2004 and February 27, 2007.
The OEA is provided for district councillors to meet expenses wholly and solely for discharging District Council duties, including hiring councilor assistants and running ward offices.
The misconduct charge alleges that between January 2004 and March 2007, Lee, being a public officer, in the course of or in relation to his public office, willfully and intentionally culpably misconducted himself by assigning non-District Council duties t o councillor assistants, whose salaries totalling $176,000 were reimbursed by the OEA.
The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance tomorrow.