Senior medical officer guilty of fraud over bogus appointments and theft of drugs
2013-6-4
A Senior Medical and Health Officer, charged by the ICAC, was today (Tuesday) convicted at the Fanling Magistracy of making bogus medical appointments and stealing prescribed drugs.
Sham Man-wai, 56, was found guilty of a total of 22 charges –'96 nine of fraud and one of theft under the Theft Ordinance; and 12 of obtaining access to a computer with dishonest intent, contrary to Section 161(1)(b) of the Crimes Ordinance.
Magistrate Miss Wong Sze-lai adjourned the case to June 17 this year for sentence. The defendant was granted cash bail of $100,000. He was also ordered to surrender his travel documents, not to leave Hong Kong, and to report to the Police thrice a week.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
The court heard that since October 2002, the defendant has been a Senior Medical and Health Officer of the Fanling Family Medicine Centre (FFMC), a general out-patient clinic under Hospital Authority (HA).
According to HA records, the defendant had made 12 medical appointments for two patients between October 2006 and April 2010 and cancelled the bookings shortly before the respective scheduled appointments.
On seven of the above occasions, the two patients were not in Hong Kong and had no knowledge regarding the medical appointments, the court was told.
Between November 2003 and August 2010, the defendant prescribed drugs to five patients while they were not in Hong Kong, did not receive those drugs or did not have any syndromes mentioned on the respective prescriptions.
Subsequently, ICAC officers recovered at the defendant’s consultation room in FFMC a total of 38 items of drugs prescribed by him to 29 patients. The prescribed drugs were worth over $4,100, the court was told.
The HA had rendered full assistance to the ICAC in its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Newman Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Tim So.
Sham Man-wai, 56, was found guilty of a total of 22 charges –'96 nine of fraud and one of theft under the Theft Ordinance; and 12 of obtaining access to a computer with dishonest intent, contrary to Section 161(1)(b) of the Crimes Ordinance.
Magistrate Miss Wong Sze-lai adjourned the case to June 17 this year for sentence. The defendant was granted cash bail of $100,000. He was also ordered to surrender his travel documents, not to leave Hong Kong, and to report to the Police thrice a week.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
The court heard that since October 2002, the defendant has been a Senior Medical and Health Officer of the Fanling Family Medicine Centre (FFMC), a general out-patient clinic under Hospital Authority (HA).
According to HA records, the defendant had made 12 medical appointments for two patients between October 2006 and April 2010 and cancelled the bookings shortly before the respective scheduled appointments.
On seven of the above occasions, the two patients were not in Hong Kong and had no knowledge regarding the medical appointments, the court was told.
Between November 2003 and August 2010, the defendant prescribed drugs to five patients while they were not in Hong Kong, did not receive those drugs or did not have any syndromes mentioned on the respective prescriptions.
Subsequently, ICAC officers recovered at the defendant’s consultation room in FFMC a total of 38 items of drugs prescribed by him to 29 patients. The prescribed drugs were worth over $4,100, the court was told.
The HA had rendered full assistance to the ICAC in its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Newman Wong, assisted by ICAC officer Tim So.