Senior officer of EDB sentenced for misconduct over school admission
2014-2-25
A Senior School Development Officer (SSDO) of the Education Bureau (EDB), charged by the ICAC, was today (Tuesday) sentenced at the Kowloon City Magistracy for misconduct in public office in relation to the admission of a student to a secondary school.
Yuen Wai-chong, 52, was ordered by Deputy Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han to perform 140 hours of community service.
In passing the sentence, the deputy magistrate said she imposed a community service order on the defendant after taking into account her clear record and various mitigating factors.
The defendant was earlier found guilty of one count of misconduct in public office, contrary to the Common Law.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by the EDB. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above misconduct offence.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was a SSDO of the EDB posted to its Kwun Tong District School Development Section. She was tasked to supervise the performance of aided schools under her command in the district.
Among the aided schools under the defendant’s supervision was The Church of Christ in China Mong Man Wai College (the school).
Since 2001, the defendant had rented a property in Yuen Long and signed various tenancy agreements with a woman.
The court heard that on July 5, 2011, the then principal of the school received a phone call from the defendant and was asked to consider admitting a student being the niece of the woman.
Afterwards, the principal received from the defendant the student’s academic documents covered by a facsimile cover sheet bearing the letterhead of EDB.
The principal then passed the documents to the vice-principal of the school for processing, the court heard.
In the morning of the following day, the principal received a call from the defendant, who asked about the progress of the student’s application again.
The principal later received from the defendant a letter written by her and two certificates of the student on her extra-curricular activities, and passed those documents to the vice-principal for processing.
On July 8, 2011, the vice-principal invited the student and her parents to the school for an interview. Immediately after the interview, the student was admitted by the school.
Both the EDB and the school confirmed that the defendant had never declared her relationship with the student and any conflict of interest in her referral of the student to the school, and that the defendant had also not reported the referral matter to th e EDB, the court was told.
The EDB had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Jones Tsui, assisted by ICAC officer Jacky Ng.
Yuen Wai-chong, 52, was ordered by Deputy Magistrate Veronica Heung Shuk-han to perform 140 hours of community service.
In passing the sentence, the deputy magistrate said she imposed a community service order on the defendant after taking into account her clear record and various mitigating factors.
The defendant was earlier found guilty of one count of misconduct in public office, contrary to the Common Law.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by the EDB. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above misconduct offence.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was a SSDO of the EDB posted to its Kwun Tong District School Development Section. She was tasked to supervise the performance of aided schools under her command in the district.
Among the aided schools under the defendant’s supervision was The Church of Christ in China Mong Man Wai College (the school).
Since 2001, the defendant had rented a property in Yuen Long and signed various tenancy agreements with a woman.
The court heard that on July 5, 2011, the then principal of the school received a phone call from the defendant and was asked to consider admitting a student being the niece of the woman.
Afterwards, the principal received from the defendant the student’s academic documents covered by a facsimile cover sheet bearing the letterhead of EDB.
The principal then passed the documents to the vice-principal of the school for processing, the court heard.
In the morning of the following day, the principal received a call from the defendant, who asked about the progress of the student’s application again.
The principal later received from the defendant a letter written by her and two certificates of the student on her extra-curricular activities, and passed those documents to the vice-principal for processing.
On July 8, 2011, the vice-principal invited the student and her parents to the school for an interview. Immediately after the interview, the student was admitted by the school.
Both the EDB and the school confirmed that the defendant had never declared her relationship with the student and any conflict of interest in her referral of the student to the school, and that the defendant had also not reported the referral matter to th e EDB, the court was told.
The EDB had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Jones Tsui, assisted by ICAC officer Jacky Ng.