Ex-bar bender charged with defrauding fellow workers of wages
2020-1-15
A former bar bender of an engineering company was charged by the ICAC yesterday (January 14) with defrauding and attempted to defraud his fellow workers by falsely representing that they were employed as unskilled bar benders and hence were entitled to lower wages.
Roy Wong Ka-chun, 38, former bar bender of Kit Kee Engineering Limited (Kit Kee), faces two charges – one of attempted fraud, contrary to Section 16A of the Theft Ordinance and Section 159G of the Crimes Ordinance, and one of fraud, contrary to Section 16A of the Theft Ordinance.
The defendant will appear at the Shatin Magistracy tomorrow (January 16) for plea.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above alleged offences.
At the material time, Kit Kee was awarded a bar bending and foundation works project at a construction site in Queen’s Hill, Fanling. In around March 2017, the defendant came to know a construction worker of Kit Kee who invited him to refer bar benders to work at the construction site.
Kit Kee paid bar benders a daily wage of $2,200. After deduction of Mandatory Provident Fund contribution, the net daily wage was $2,150. The defendant subsequently joined Kit Kee as a bar bender, and introduced two fellow workers to Kit Kee.
The charges allege that between March 23 and July 3, 2017, the defendant falsely represented to the two workers that they were only entitled to a daily wage of $1,100 as unskilled bar benders and had to reimburse part of their salaries to be paid by Kit Kee, and for one of them to purchase construction materials.
It is alleged that the defendant, with intent to defraud, attempted to induce a worker to pay him $1,050 out of the worker’s daily wage and induced another one to pay him $5,250 in total, which might result in or resulted in benefit to the defendant or in prejudice to the workers.
Kit Kee has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance tomorrow.
Roy Wong Ka-chun, 38, former bar bender of Kit Kee Engineering Limited (Kit Kee), faces two charges – one of attempted fraud, contrary to Section 16A of the Theft Ordinance and Section 159G of the Crimes Ordinance, and one of fraud, contrary to Section 16A of the Theft Ordinance.
The defendant will appear at the Shatin Magistracy tomorrow (January 16) for plea.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above alleged offences.
At the material time, Kit Kee was awarded a bar bending and foundation works project at a construction site in Queen’s Hill, Fanling. In around March 2017, the defendant came to know a construction worker of Kit Kee who invited him to refer bar benders to work at the construction site.
Kit Kee paid bar benders a daily wage of $2,200. After deduction of Mandatory Provident Fund contribution, the net daily wage was $2,150. The defendant subsequently joined Kit Kee as a bar bender, and introduced two fellow workers to Kit Kee.
The charges allege that between March 23 and July 3, 2017, the defendant falsely represented to the two workers that they were only entitled to a daily wage of $1,100 as unskilled bar benders and had to reimburse part of their salaries to be paid by Kit Kee, and for one of them to purchase construction materials.
It is alleged that the defendant, with intent to defraud, attempted to induce a worker to pay him $1,050 out of the worker’s daily wage and induced another one to pay him $5,250 in total, which might result in or resulted in benefit to the defendant or in prejudice to the workers.
Kit Kee has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The defendant has been released on ICAC bail, pending his court appearance tomorrow.