Integrity Focus

In the course of a corruption investigation by the ICAC, it was revealed that a man and his father, who was a supervisor of a cleaning contractor, had defraud the contractor of wages totalling about $350,000 in around two and a half years by falsifying attendance records. The cleaning worker, who withdrew over $300,000 from the wages, was today (August 1) sentenced to 13 months imprisonment at the District Court for money laundering.

Louis Yip Wai-lok, 25, who is reportedly a cleaning worker of ISS Facility Services Limited (ISS), was found guilty of one count of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

In sentencing, Judge Mr Ernest Lin Kam-hung said he took a starting point of 15 months’ imprisonment and reduced the jail term by two months after taking into account various factors, including Louis Yip’s clear record.

The court heard that at the material time, Louis Yip’s father, Yip Hong-yau, was a supervisor of ISS, which was a cleaning services contractor of a commercial building in Central. Yip Hong-yau was responsible for recruiting and supervising cleaning workers. In December 2017, Yip Hong-yau registered for Louis Yip to join ISS as a cleaning worker reportedly posted to the building.

Between December 2017 and June 2020, Yip Hong-yau falsely represented to ISS that the attendance records of Louis Yip accurately reflected his working hours. As a result, ISS paid wages totalling about $350,000 to Louis Yip through bank transfer. He subsequently withdrew over $300,000 from it.

The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that at the material time, Louis Yip had worked as a full-time employee in a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui or a property management company in Cheung Sha Wan, but he had never performed cleaning duties at the commercial building in the case. Had ISS known that Louis Yip did not work at the building as stated on the attendance records, it would not have released the wage payments to him.

Co-defendant Yip Hong-yau, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud yesterday (July 31). He was sentenced to a jail term of 15 months.

ISS had rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.

The prosecution was today represented by Senior Public Prosecutor Steven Liu, assisted by ICAC officer Jonathan Ng.