Four Lingnan University current and former student union leaders arrested last week for allegedly stealing HK$1.3 million from the union are said to have used the cash to go on holidays, buy stocks and even repay personal loans.
A student group, meanwhile, has been calling for the disbandment of the Lingnan University Students’ Union, from where the funds were allegedly stolen, due to a lack of transparency, since last October. Over 500 student signatures were collected in four days, expressing concern over the union’s practice of covertly appointing members.
According to an investigative report by East Week, the sister publication of The Standard, the funds stolen by the four core members – three men and a woman – were also used to spread political propaganda on campuses.
One of them, Lai, allegedly deposited a check into his personal account, with police discovering over HK$100,000 in cash in his home safe. Another, named Ng, was suspected of using the cash to buy clothes and pay off 18 personal loans.
Ng has served in several roles in the student union since 2023, including chairperson of the student union representative council, chairperson of the election committee, and chairperson of the financial committee.
Both are reportedly good friends, as Ng had “offered” Lai another position on the representative council when he abandoned the election of the student union.
The report also said several individuals have taken advantage of the Hong Kong Federation of Students after its membership decreased following the 2014 protest.
With only four university student unions left in the HKFS, the members of Lingnan student union reportedly served as the organization’s chairpersons for two consecutive terms and registered the HKFS as a society.
Earlier this year, a lawsuit was filed to transfer two properties in Mong Kok under the HKFS Fund to a company established by Lai and another core member in 2023.
The arrestees of the Lingnan University case.
The arrestees of the Lingnan University case.
The arrestees of the Lingnan University case.
The arrestees of the Lingnan University case.
In recent years, several embezzlement scandals involving student unions have been reported across various universities in Hong Kong.
Apart from personal gain, the monies were reportedly used to spread political propaganda on campuses during the 2019 protests, where several universities held activities and published articles containing potentially unlawful inflammatory statements.
Following the implementation of the National Security Law on June 30, 2020, some unions reportedly opted for more discreet methods to engage in “soft resistance,” spreading anti-government ideas on the campus.
(Staff reporter)
