Ex-RTHK staff sentenced for deceiving $116,000 service fees
2008-6-6
A former Assistant Programme Officer of the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), charged by the ICAC, was today (Friday) sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, at the District Court for deceiving script-writing service fees totalling over $116,000 from the RTHK.
Tsang Yuet-ngor, 42, was earlier found guilty of 14 counts of fraud. The prosecution had offered no evidence against six other similar charges against her.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Newman Wong remarked that the fraud offences committed by the defendant were serious.
The judge also criticized the RTHK for being not stringent in supervising the use of the forms concerned to claim expenses.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the fraud offences.
The court heard that at the time of the offences, the defendant was an Assistant Programme Officer attached to the Drama Unit of RTHK.
The defendant was responsible for drama production. As script-writing was part of her duties, she was not entitled to claim service fees for the job.
The court heard that between August 1999 and March 2002, the defendant used the names of her mother and brother to submit 14 claim forms to the RTHK, purportedly showing that the latter two had provided script-writing services.
Believing that the information contained in the claim forms was genuine, the RTHK effected payments totalling $44,000 and $72,200 to the defendant’s mother and brother respectively.
In fact, the defendant’s mother and brother had never provided such services to the RTHK, the court was told.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Terence Wai, assisted by ICAC officer Alice Wong.
Tsang Yuet-ngor, 42, was earlier found guilty of 14 counts of fraud. The prosecution had offered no evidence against six other similar charges against her.
In sentencing, Deputy Judge Newman Wong remarked that the fraud offences committed by the defendant were serious.
The judge also criticized the RTHK for being not stringent in supervising the use of the forms concerned to claim expenses.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the fraud offences.
The court heard that at the time of the offences, the defendant was an Assistant Programme Officer attached to the Drama Unit of RTHK.
The defendant was responsible for drama production. As script-writing was part of her duties, she was not entitled to claim service fees for the job.
The court heard that between August 1999 and March 2002, the defendant used the names of her mother and brother to submit 14 claim forms to the RTHK, purportedly showing that the latter two had provided script-writing services.
Believing that the information contained in the claim forms was genuine, the RTHK effected payments totalling $44,000 and $72,200 to the defendant’s mother and brother respectively.
In fact, the defendant’s mother and brother had never provided such services to the RTHK, the court was told.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Terence Wai, assisted by ICAC officer Alice Wong.