Then Senior Customs Officer charged by ICAC gets 10 weeks’ jail for using form containing false information to apply for outside work
2025-12-24
A then Senior Customs Officer of the Customs and Excise Department (C&E), charged by the ICAC, was today (December 24) sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts for using a form containing false information to apply for performing paid outside work for the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS).
Carol Li Kwai-wa, 43, was earlier found guilty after trial of one count of agent using a document containing false statement with intent to deceive her principal, contrary to section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and one count of fraud, contrary to section 16A of the Theft Ordinance.
In sentencing, Deputy Magistrate Miss Chung Wing-sze remarked that the defendant’s act had breached the integrity of public officials and undermined public confidence in the civil service, therefore warranting a deterrent custodial sentence. The defendant was also ordered by the court to compensate the government over $100,000, equivalent to the wages received by the defendant from outside work.
The ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint referred by the C&E.
According to the Civil Service Regulations, all civil servants are required to obtain prior approval from the department for performing any paid outside work. The court heard that the defendant submitted a form to apply for performing outside work for the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) to the C&E in March 2022. She claimed on the form that she did not perform any outside work during a period of one year before filing the application. However, ICAC enquiries revealed that prior to filing the application, the defendant had performed paid outside duties for the AMS on 99 occasions between mid-2021 and early 2022, and thereby received wages totalling over $100,000.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the C&E implemented the home standby duty arrangement, under which officers on such duty were not allowed to perform any outside work. Otherwise they would be considered absent from duty.
When the defendant was assigned to perform home standby duties between February 2020 and January 2021, she had performed paid outside duties for the AMS on 28 occasions and received wages totalling over $8,800 from the AMS. But the defendant did not apply for leave with the C&E and thus deceived the C&E into not deducting her salary payments in the total sum of over $19,000.
The C&E and the AMS rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Timothy Chen, assisted by ICAC officer John Tsoi.
Carol Li Kwai-wa, 43, was earlier found guilty after trial of one count of agent using a document containing false statement with intent to deceive her principal, contrary to section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and one count of fraud, contrary to section 16A of the Theft Ordinance.
In sentencing, Deputy Magistrate Miss Chung Wing-sze remarked that the defendant’s act had breached the integrity of public officials and undermined public confidence in the civil service, therefore warranting a deterrent custodial sentence. The defendant was also ordered by the court to compensate the government over $100,000, equivalent to the wages received by the defendant from outside work.
The ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint referred by the C&E.
According to the Civil Service Regulations, all civil servants are required to obtain prior approval from the department for performing any paid outside work. The court heard that the defendant submitted a form to apply for performing outside work for the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS) to the C&E in March 2022. She claimed on the form that she did not perform any outside work during a period of one year before filing the application. However, ICAC enquiries revealed that prior to filing the application, the defendant had performed paid outside duties for the AMS on 99 occasions between mid-2021 and early 2022, and thereby received wages totalling over $100,000.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the C&E implemented the home standby duty arrangement, under which officers on such duty were not allowed to perform any outside work. Otherwise they would be considered absent from duty.
When the defendant was assigned to perform home standby duties between February 2020 and January 2021, she had performed paid outside duties for the AMS on 28 occasions and received wages totalling over $8,800 from the AMS. But the defendant did not apply for leave with the C&E and thus deceived the C&E into not deducting her salary payments in the total sum of over $19,000.
The C&E and the AMS rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Timothy Chen, assisted by ICAC officer John Tsoi.