Then section head of Cyberport among six charged by ICAC for alleged bribery and fraud over government technology subsidies
2026-10-12
The ICAC, in Operation “Thunderclap” conducted early this year, neutralised a corruption syndicate suspected of offering and accepting bribes, and defrauding government technology subsidies under the Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme (DTSPP). Following an intensive investigation, six individuals, including a then section head of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport) and the proprietor of an information technology (IT) company, were charged this morning (October 12). The case was brought to the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts for mention this afternoon.
Alice So Nga-lai, 59, then Head of Entrepreneurship of Cyberport, faces one count of public servant accepting advantages, contrary to section 4(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO).
Viola Lam Yuen-lee, 39, sole proprietor of Find Solution Ai Limited (Find Solution), faces one count of offering advantages to a public servant, contrary to section 4(1)(a) of the POBO.
Viola Lam and the remaining four defendants are also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to the Common Law. The four co-defendants are Viola Lam’s younger brother Paul Lam Kin-ho, 35, company secretary of Find Solution; and three downline vendors of Find Solution, namely Daniel Lee, Chan Hoi-tsun and Tsang Wai-ping, aged between 31 and 52.
No plea was entered today. The case was adjourned to January 4, 2027 for mention, and the defendants were granted bail.
Cyberport served as the secretariat for the DTSPP. During the period of the alleged offences between October 2023 and January 2026, So, then Head of Entrepreneurship of Cyberport, managed all secretariat matters concerning the DTSPP, including reviewing of subsidy application documents and disbursement of funding.
The DTSPP subsidised small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to adopt ready-to-use digital technology solutions from registered service providers to enhance digital transformation in areas such as digital payments, online sales promotion and customer management. An SME applying for subsidy was required to pay half of the cost of the digital technology solution, with the subsidy capped at $50,000. Find Solution was one of the service providers under the DTSPP and engaged downline vendors to pitch its digital solutions to SMEs.
The two bribery charges allege that So, then Head of Entrepreneurship of Cyberport, accepted various gifts offered by Viola Lam, the proprietor of Find Solution, in return for remaining favourably disposed to Find Solution in relation to subsidy applications under the DTSPP. The gifts concerned included several round-trip flight tickets between Hong Kong and Thailand and Japan, as well as several branded handbags and a smartphone.
The ICAC investigation revealed that So allegedly accepted bribes for curtailing the investigation of complaints lodged by DTSPP applicants against Find Solution, and expediting the release of subsidies in applications involving Find Solution.
The other charge alleges that Viola Lam, Paul Lam, Lee, Chan and Tsang conspired together to defraud Cyberport by falsely representing that various eligible SMEs had applied for subsidies under the DTSPP, had engaged Find Solution to provide services, and had made their halves of the service payments, thereby inducing Cyberport to approve the applications and make the remaining halves of the service payments to Find Solution as subsidies. The ICAC investigation revealed that this case involved at least 400 applications, totalling approximately $20 million in subsidies.
The ICAC has been working closely with government departments and public bodies to provide corruption prevention advice and guidelines on administration of government funding schemes, with a view to strengthening the integrity management and corruption prevention safeguards of these schemes. The ICAC will continue to provide assistance to the relevant organisations to further enhance their anti-corruption capabilities.
In addition, the ICAC will launch the Corruption Prevention Guide on Funding Schemes on Innovation and Technology to help grantors strengthen the monitoring of funding schemes and enhance the anti-corruption capabilities of the industry. The ICAC will also organise relevant anti-corruption training courses for government departments and grantors in the public sector to raise managerial staff’s awareness and capabilities in corruption prevention.
Cyberport rendered full assistance to the ICAC during the investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Gary Li.
Alice So Nga-lai, 59, then Head of Entrepreneurship of Cyberport, faces one count of public servant accepting advantages, contrary to section 4(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO).
Viola Lam Yuen-lee, 39, sole proprietor of Find Solution Ai Limited (Find Solution), faces one count of offering advantages to a public servant, contrary to section 4(1)(a) of the POBO.
Viola Lam and the remaining four defendants are also charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to the Common Law. The four co-defendants are Viola Lam’s younger brother Paul Lam Kin-ho, 35, company secretary of Find Solution; and three downline vendors of Find Solution, namely Daniel Lee, Chan Hoi-tsun and Tsang Wai-ping, aged between 31 and 52.
No plea was entered today. The case was adjourned to January 4, 2027 for mention, and the defendants were granted bail.
Cyberport served as the secretariat for the DTSPP. During the period of the alleged offences between October 2023 and January 2026, So, then Head of Entrepreneurship of Cyberport, managed all secretariat matters concerning the DTSPP, including reviewing of subsidy application documents and disbursement of funding.
The DTSPP subsidised small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to adopt ready-to-use digital technology solutions from registered service providers to enhance digital transformation in areas such as digital payments, online sales promotion and customer management. An SME applying for subsidy was required to pay half of the cost of the digital technology solution, with the subsidy capped at $50,000. Find Solution was one of the service providers under the DTSPP and engaged downline vendors to pitch its digital solutions to SMEs.
The two bribery charges allege that So, then Head of Entrepreneurship of Cyberport, accepted various gifts offered by Viola Lam, the proprietor of Find Solution, in return for remaining favourably disposed to Find Solution in relation to subsidy applications under the DTSPP. The gifts concerned included several round-trip flight tickets between Hong Kong and Thailand and Japan, as well as several branded handbags and a smartphone.
The ICAC investigation revealed that So allegedly accepted bribes for curtailing the investigation of complaints lodged by DTSPP applicants against Find Solution, and expediting the release of subsidies in applications involving Find Solution.
The other charge alleges that Viola Lam, Paul Lam, Lee, Chan and Tsang conspired together to defraud Cyberport by falsely representing that various eligible SMEs had applied for subsidies under the DTSPP, had engaged Find Solution to provide services, and had made their halves of the service payments, thereby inducing Cyberport to approve the applications and make the remaining halves of the service payments to Find Solution as subsidies. The ICAC investigation revealed that this case involved at least 400 applications, totalling approximately $20 million in subsidies.
The ICAC has been working closely with government departments and public bodies to provide corruption prevention advice and guidelines on administration of government funding schemes, with a view to strengthening the integrity management and corruption prevention safeguards of these schemes. The ICAC will continue to provide assistance to the relevant organisations to further enhance their anti-corruption capabilities.
In addition, the ICAC will launch the Corruption Prevention Guide on Funding Schemes on Innovation and Technology to help grantors strengthen the monitoring of funding schemes and enhance the anti-corruption capabilities of the industry. The ICAC will also organise relevant anti-corruption training courses for government departments and grantors in the public sector to raise managerial staff’s awareness and capabilities in corruption prevention.
Cyberport rendered full assistance to the ICAC during the investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Gary Li.