Registered social worker Eddie Tse Sai-kit has his licence suspended for three years after being convicted of fraud for illegally claiming the Old Age Living Allowance, a subsidy scheme for the elderly.

According to the prosecution’s case, Tse defrauded the Social Welfare Department (SWD) of four monthly payments of HK$4,195 last year – in July, August, November and December – a total of HK$16,780.

The court convicted him on four counts of fraud and sentenced him to 120 hours of community service.

Following his conviction, the Social Workers Registration Board reviewed Tse’s professional status in accordance with its disciplinary mechanism. The board ruled that, as an experienced social worker well-versed in the welfare system, Tse had committed a serious offence that damaged the reputation and integrity of the profession. He was therefore struck off the register for three years.

Tse submitted a written appeal to the board last week, expressing his dissatisfaction with the decision.

The outspoken social worker, also a veteran activist, has advocated on a host of issues relating to his social work profession and beyond, from environmental matters to columbaria.  He had raised several legal challenges against the government.

In July last year, he filed a judicial review to the High Court, seeking to overturn the report of the San Tin Technopole, which paved the way for the government's conditional approval of the project.

Tse later applied for a stay of proceedings twice upon his application for legal aid, but were rejected by High Court Judge Russell Coleman, who said the case should not be postponed, citing public interest.

Commenting on his suspension, some senior social workers criticised Tse’s conduct, saying his actions had brought shame to the entire profession.

“As a social worker, he should have set an example but instead broke the law and defrauded the system,” one veteran practitioner said.

“Being convicted and deregistered is what he deserves. Yet he continues to claim he acted unintentionally and even tried to link his fraud case with his judicial review, inventing conspiracy theories to sway the board’s decision.”

The practitioner added that Tse’s offence reflected a clear breach of integrity.

“For a social worker who knowingly deceived the government, a three-year suspension is already lenient — it should have been permanent to protect the credibility of the profession.”