Former ESF kindergarten administrator pleads guilty after accepting HK$640,000 bribery

A 54-year-old former administrator of ESF International Kindergarten (Wu Kai Sha) (WKSK) pleaded guilty to accepting bribes on Wednesday, in which she received HK$640,000 from parents in exchange for facilitating their children's admission to the K1 class.

The defendant, Fatima Rumjahn, was accused of accepting bribes from 13 parents and one businessman when she worked at WKSK and was responsible for handling K1 admissions between 2018 and 2021.

She faced 13 charges, where she pleaded guilty to nine counts of accepting bribes and conspiracy to accept advantages at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts this morning, and the four other charges involving one count of an agent soliciting an advantage were left on court file.

The court heard that between September 2018 and April 2021, Rumjahn was responsible for handling admission applications for K1 classes, which took place annually in September. She accepted bribes totaling HK$640,000 for offering eight K1 placements at WKSK to the children of the eight families. 

Fatima Rumjahn's sentencing is adjourned until the parents are tried for allegedly offering bribes, and she has been granted bail in the meantime.

The 13 parents charged, aged between 33 and 45, are Marissa Choy Wai-yin and her partner Lee Chun-long; Cora Lam Man-hei and her husband Cheung Ka-ming; and nine mothers – Tsui Wai-him, Kong Ching-men, Julia Wong Yi-ting (formerly known as Julia Wong Wing-man), Vida Lau Ying-kwan (formerly known as Vida Lau Wai-tak), Ma Yin-man, Michelle Wong Mei-suet, Mak Wai-ki, Li Jiebing and Zhu Shuangye.

A 45-year-old businessman Siu Yu-pong was also listed as a defendant.

The trial will begin on November 14, with Rumjahn testifying.