Housing Officer admits misconduct in public office over public housing tenancy addition application
2026-10-27
A Housing Officer of the Housing Department (HD), charged by the ICAC, admitted at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today (October 27) that she had committed misconduct in public office (MIPO) by falsely representing to two applicants that the HD had approved their respective applications for the addition of public housing family members (addition application) and a community function.
Ng Ming-yee, 36, interdicted Housing Officer of the HD, was charged with two counts of fraud, contrary to section 16A of the Theft Ordinance. She pleaded guilty today to two newly added alternative charges of MIPO, contrary to the Common Law.
Magistrate Ms Shirley Cornelia Hung adjourned the case to November 10 for sentencing and granted the defendant bail, pending a community service order report. The Magistrate also ordered the defendant to make a compensation of approximately $34,000 to the government, equivalent to the amount of extra rent that the tenant in this case should have paid to the HD.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the HD. At the material time, the defendant was posted to the HD’s office at Tai Wo Hau Estate. She was responsible for handling addition applications and community-building function applications (function applications) submitted by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Both types of applications were subject to the approval of a Housing Manager. Upon approval of an addition application, the rent of the tenant might be adjusted, whereas an NGO, upon obtaining an approval to organise a community function, could apply for reimbursement of expenses from the HD.
The defendant admitted that between October 2022 and October 2024, she willfully misconducted herself, in the course of her public office, without reasonable excuse or justification, and failed to properly perform her duties.
When handling an addition application at Tai Wo Hau Estate, she represented to an applicant (i.e. the daughter of a registered tenant) that the application had been duly approved by the HD, and unauthorisedly added the names of the daughter and her husband to the list of family members, which was listed in the relevant tenancy agreement possessed by the tenant. The defendant also issued a purported letter in the name of the HD to an NGO applying to organise a community function, claiming that the HD had duly approved the application.
However, the ICAC investigation revealed that the defendant did not submit the two applications to the Housing Manager concerned for approval. The applicants also had no knowledge that their applications had never been approved by the HD.
The defendant’s misconduct could have exposed the applicant who made the addition application to the risk of facing penalties from the HD for moving into the unit without authorisation and failing to pay the additional rent. Meanwhile, the NGO might have been unable to obtain any reimbursement for organising the function from the HD.
The HD and the said NGO rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Noelle Aileen Chit, assisted by ICAC officer Louis Chung.
Ng Ming-yee, 36, interdicted Housing Officer of the HD, was charged with two counts of fraud, contrary to section 16A of the Theft Ordinance. She pleaded guilty today to two newly added alternative charges of MIPO, contrary to the Common Law.
Magistrate Ms Shirley Cornelia Hung adjourned the case to November 10 for sentencing and granted the defendant bail, pending a community service order report. The Magistrate also ordered the defendant to make a compensation of approximately $34,000 to the government, equivalent to the amount of extra rent that the tenant in this case should have paid to the HD.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint referred by the HD. At the material time, the defendant was posted to the HD’s office at Tai Wo Hau Estate. She was responsible for handling addition applications and community-building function applications (function applications) submitted by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Both types of applications were subject to the approval of a Housing Manager. Upon approval of an addition application, the rent of the tenant might be adjusted, whereas an NGO, upon obtaining an approval to organise a community function, could apply for reimbursement of expenses from the HD.
The defendant admitted that between October 2022 and October 2024, she willfully misconducted herself, in the course of her public office, without reasonable excuse or justification, and failed to properly perform her duties.
When handling an addition application at Tai Wo Hau Estate, she represented to an applicant (i.e. the daughter of a registered tenant) that the application had been duly approved by the HD, and unauthorisedly added the names of the daughter and her husband to the list of family members, which was listed in the relevant tenancy agreement possessed by the tenant. The defendant also issued a purported letter in the name of the HD to an NGO applying to organise a community function, claiming that the HD had duly approved the application.
However, the ICAC investigation revealed that the defendant did not submit the two applications to the Housing Manager concerned for approval. The applicants also had no knowledge that their applications had never been approved by the HD.
The defendant’s misconduct could have exposed the applicant who made the addition application to the risk of facing penalties from the HD for moving into the unit without authorisation and failing to pay the additional rent. Meanwhile, the NGO might have been unable to obtain any reimbursement for organising the function from the HD.
The HD and the said NGO rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Noelle Aileen Chit, assisted by ICAC officer Louis Chung.