An ex-committee member of Wang Fuk Court and his wife were charged on Tuesday with allegedly defrauding the government’s Special 100% Loan Guarantee scheme of about HK$330,000.
The case follows the couple's arrest in mid-May after they allegedly falsified revenue figures for their interior design firm, Ace Interior Design & Engineering Company, to secure government loans for personal use.
The defendants, Jason Kong Cheung-fat, 65, and Rosanna Cheung Yeuk-lan, 62, face two counts of conspiracy to defraud and one count of money laundering. They appeared at Sha Tin Magistrates' Court this morning, where both were not required to enter a plea.
The court heard that the two directors made false statements to HSBC about their company’s sales to support two applications under the “Special 100% Loan Guarantee” scheme between February 8 and June 30, 2022.
The pair allegedly intended to induce HSBC and the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited to approve loans of HK$231,300 and HK$100,000, totaling HK$331,300, for their company.
The couple was also accused of laundering the dishonestly obtained HK$331,300 loan through an HSBC bank account between April 4 and July 25, 2022.
Acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong adjourned the case to October 6 to allow the prosecution time to transfer documents to the District Court.
The duo was granted cash bail at HK$10,000 each. Under the bail conditions, they were ordered to remain in Hong Kong at their reported address, report to police weekly, and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.
It is understood that Kong is a homeowner of Wang Yan Court and served as a member of the 12th management committee of the estate.
He previously initiated a petition following the deadly fire at the estate, collecting 247 signatures and submitting them to the estate's government-appointed administrator, Hop On Management Limited, on April 29 demanding a general meeting.
The meeting eventually took place on July 19 after Hop On's request extension of the statutory deadline was rejected by authorities.
