CHINA / Taiwan, HK, Macao

HK professor faces court for alleged housing allowance fraud
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-06 06:40

A professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong was taken to court on Monday for allegedly deceiving private tenancy allowance totaling about 1.9 million HK dollars (245,000 U.S. dollars).

Chan Wing-wah, a music professor for the Chinese University, faced two counts of agent using a document with intent to deceive his principal, contrary to the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance.

Court magistrate Michael Jenkins adjourned the case until June 23 for transfer to the District Court for plea.

One of the charges alleged Chan of using an application for private tenancy allowance on October 10, 1990, which contained false, erroneous or defective statements.

Another charge alleged that between August 30 and November 14, 1998, Chan had used another document to deceive his principal.

He was alleged to have falsely claimed in the document that a director and shareholder of a company, from whom he had leased the property under his private tenancy allowance, was not his relative.

But later investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption found Chan had lied in these statements.