Women’s Handball Team coach admits conspiracy to defraud over training allowance
2021-4-15
A coach of the Hong Kong Women’s Handball Team (Women’s Handball Team), charged by the ICAC, admitted at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts today (April 15) that he had conspired with team members to defraud the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) of government training allowance involving totalling $24,000 by falsifying attendance records.
Ip Shi-yan, 34, head coach of Women’s Handball Team, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law. The prosecution offered no evidence to another similar charge against Ip.
Acting Principal Magistrate Mr Jason Wan Siu-ming adjourned the case to May 6 for sentence, pending a community service order report. Ip was granted bail.
Co-defendants Wong Wing-tung, 26, and Hui Wing-hang, 23, respectively member and former member of Women’s Handball Team, each faced one of the aforesaid conspiracy to defraud charges. They were each imposed a 12-month bind over order after the prosecution offered no evidence to the charges against them.
The case unfolded in an ICAC investigation in connection with a corruption complaint.
In January 2018, the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) launched a “Five-year Development Programme for Team Sports” administered by the HKSI to improve the performance of various team sports in Hong Kong.
Under the programme, a monthly allowance of $4,000 is provided to an athlete nominated by a designated sports association, including the Handball Association of Hong Kong, China Limited (HAHK) which manages the Women’s Handball Team, provided that the athlete attends at least 80 per cent of the scheduled training sessions.
The court heard that at the material time, Ip was the head coach of the Women’s Handball Team. Wong and Hui, both members of the team, were nominated by the HAHK to receive the monthly allowance under the aforesaid programme.
In March 2019, Wong told Ip that she was unable to attend the required number of hours of the scheduled training sessions in March and April 2019 for claiming the allowance due to her internship engagement.
Ip later suggested that he could falsify Wong’s attendance records and the allowance claimed for the two months would be used to pay the general expenses of the Women’s Handball Team. Wong agreed to Ip’s suggestion.
Attendance records falsely representing that Wong had attended all scheduled training sessions in the aforesaid two months were submitted to HAHK and HKSI for application of allowance and two cheques totalling $8,000 were issued to Wong. Wong passed the sum to Ip after encashing the cheques in September 2019.
ICAC inquiries revealed that Wong had not attended the scheduled training sessions in the relevant period as purported.
The court also heard that in late April 2019, Hui expressed her wish to withdraw from the Women’s Handball Team. Upon Ip’s suggestion, Hui agreed that he could falsify her attendance records to continue to claim allowance for paying the team’s general expenses.
Attendance records falsely representing that Hui had attended all training sessions between May and August 2019 were then submitted to the HAHK for application of allowance totalling $16,000. In fact, Hui had not attended the scheduled training sessions in the relevant period as purported.
The HAB, HKSI and HAHK had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Allan Fong.
Ip Shi-yan, 34, head coach of Women’s Handball Team, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law. The prosecution offered no evidence to another similar charge against Ip.
Acting Principal Magistrate Mr Jason Wan Siu-ming adjourned the case to May 6 for sentence, pending a community service order report. Ip was granted bail.
Co-defendants Wong Wing-tung, 26, and Hui Wing-hang, 23, respectively member and former member of Women’s Handball Team, each faced one of the aforesaid conspiracy to defraud charges. They were each imposed a 12-month bind over order after the prosecution offered no evidence to the charges against them.
The case unfolded in an ICAC investigation in connection with a corruption complaint.
In January 2018, the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) launched a “Five-year Development Programme for Team Sports” administered by the HKSI to improve the performance of various team sports in Hong Kong.
Under the programme, a monthly allowance of $4,000 is provided to an athlete nominated by a designated sports association, including the Handball Association of Hong Kong, China Limited (HAHK) which manages the Women’s Handball Team, provided that the athlete attends at least 80 per cent of the scheduled training sessions.
The court heard that at the material time, Ip was the head coach of the Women’s Handball Team. Wong and Hui, both members of the team, were nominated by the HAHK to receive the monthly allowance under the aforesaid programme.
In March 2019, Wong told Ip that she was unable to attend the required number of hours of the scheduled training sessions in March and April 2019 for claiming the allowance due to her internship engagement.
Ip later suggested that he could falsify Wong’s attendance records and the allowance claimed for the two months would be used to pay the general expenses of the Women’s Handball Team. Wong agreed to Ip’s suggestion.
Attendance records falsely representing that Wong had attended all scheduled training sessions in the aforesaid two months were submitted to HAHK and HKSI for application of allowance and two cheques totalling $8,000 were issued to Wong. Wong passed the sum to Ip after encashing the cheques in September 2019.
ICAC inquiries revealed that Wong had not attended the scheduled training sessions in the relevant period as purported.
The court also heard that in late April 2019, Hui expressed her wish to withdraw from the Women’s Handball Team. Upon Ip’s suggestion, Hui agreed that he could falsify her attendance records to continue to claim allowance for paying the team’s general expenses.
Attendance records falsely representing that Hui had attended all training sessions between May and August 2019 were then submitted to the HAHK for application of allowance totalling $16,000. In fact, Hui had not attended the scheduled training sessions in the relevant period as purported.
The HAB, HKSI and HAHK had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by ICAC officer Allan Fong.