HKU associate law professor acquitted of housing fraud allegations exceeding $720,000

A University of Hong Kong (HKU) associate law professor was acquitted of defrauding the university of more than HK$720,000 in housing allowances between 2019 and 2021.

The 54-year-old Alice Lee Suet-ching was charged for allegedly defrauding HKU by making false representations about her compliance with the relevant "live-in-requirement" when applying for the university's Private Tenancy Allowance for a flat in Kowloon.

She got the university to reimburse her for the rent, rates, and management fees totaling over HK$722,400 between 2019 and 2021.

An ICAC investigation said Lee had been living with her parents at another flat in the New Territories between October 29, 2019, and October 31, 2021.

It also found that a personal friend of Lee had been living in the Kowloon flat, which was used to apply for the allowance during that period.

Deputy Judge David Cheung Chi-wai highlighted the difficulty of identifying the defendant's residence based solely on the length of stay.

The prosecution argued that Lee had spent the majority of her time at her parent's home and failed to disclose her actual living situation to the university for subsidy purposes.

The defense stated Lee's stays at her parent's home were primarily to care for the sick father and aunt, claiming the evaluation of her residence was too arbitrary.

The judge concurred that the purpose of the stay should be considered when deciding Lee's residence, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also noted the testimony of a domestic helper, who proved Lee's consistent behavior in caring for her family in Sha Tin.

Lee joined HKU as a lecturer in 1992 and was promoted to associate professor in 2007. She has also served as the associate dean of the Faculty of Law since 2011.