Ex-administration officer gets 24 months for $310,000 school payments theft
2019-10-10
A former administration officer of a secondary school, charged by the ICAC, was today (October 10) sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment at the District Court after being convicted of appropriating payments from students in relation to study trips and other miscellaneous fees totalling over $310,000.
Lau Chai-wah, 54, former administration officer of CMA Secondary School (CMASS), was found guilty of 13 counts of theft, contrary to Section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.
In sentencing, Judge Josiah Lam Wai-kuen said the defendant’s appropriation constituted a breach of trust, adding that she had never indicated to the school her willingness to make any repayment.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was the administration officer and the person-in-charge of the General Office of CMASS. She was responsible for handling payments collected from students, depositing money into the bank account of CMASS and preparing relevant accounting records.
All money received from students had to be deposited into a bank account of CMASS on the same day, or kept in the safe in the principal’s room before it was deposited into the bank account on the following working day.
In an audit check conducted in around November 2016, CMASS found that cash payments totalling over $300,000 from students which had been passed to the defendant between September 2015 and March 2016 in relation to 13 events or items had gone missing.
On February 11, 2017, 11 signed cheques, totalling over $310,000, which were drawn from two different bank accounts of the defendant and made payable to CMASS was found inside a conference room of the school.
The court heard that each of the cheques was attached with certain accounting documents in relation to the abovementioned 13 events or items, including study trips, miscellaneous fees and air-conditioning fees.
CMASS had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Wong Hay-yiu, assisted by ICAC officers Phoebe Tsang and Emily Cheung.
Lau Chai-wah, 54, former administration officer of CMA Secondary School (CMASS), was found guilty of 13 counts of theft, contrary to Section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.
In sentencing, Judge Josiah Lam Wai-kuen said the defendant’s appropriation constituted a breach of trust, adding that she had never indicated to the school her willingness to make any repayment.
The case arose from a corruption complaint. Subsequent ICAC enquiries revealed the above offences.
The court heard that at the material time, the defendant was the administration officer and the person-in-charge of the General Office of CMASS. She was responsible for handling payments collected from students, depositing money into the bank account of CMASS and preparing relevant accounting records.
All money received from students had to be deposited into a bank account of CMASS on the same day, or kept in the safe in the principal’s room before it was deposited into the bank account on the following working day.
In an audit check conducted in around November 2016, CMASS found that cash payments totalling over $300,000 from students which had been passed to the defendant between September 2015 and March 2016 in relation to 13 events or items had gone missing.
On February 11, 2017, 11 signed cheques, totalling over $310,000, which were drawn from two different bank accounts of the defendant and made payable to CMASS was found inside a conference room of the school.
The court heard that each of the cheques was attached with certain accounting documents in relation to the abovementioned 13 events or items, including study trips, miscellaneous fees and air-conditioning fees.
CMASS had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Wong Hay-yiu, assisted by ICAC officers Phoebe Tsang and Emily Cheung.