Integrity Focus

The ICAC today (October 7) charged a then-senior supervisor of a supermarket chain and three then contractor or casual workers for allegedly conspiring together to deceive the supermarket chain of wages totalling over $3.2 million in two years by using attendance records of “ghost workers”.

The defendants are Lau Kin-pong, 42, former senior supervisor of PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited (PARKnSHOP); Tai Kin-man, 41, former assistant manager of Earnward Warehouse Limited (Earnward Warehouse); Wong Wai-fung, 25; and Wong Pak-kan, 26, both former casual workers of PARKnSHOP contractor. They jointly face one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to Common Law. They were released on ICAC bail, pending their appearance at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday (October 9) for mention. The prosecution will apply for transferring the case to the District Court.

Supermarket chain PARKnSHOP operated a product distribution center in Fo Tan, which was responsible for sorting and packaging online orders for distribution to customers. PARKnSHOP hired a contractor, Logistics Network Management Limited (Logistics Network), to provide casual workers for the distribution center, while Earnward Warehouse was responsible for supervising the operation of Logistics Network.

At the material time, Lau Kin-pong was the senior supervisor of PARKnSHOP responsible for handling the administrative duties of the distribution center. Tai Kin-man was the assistant manager of Earnward Warehouse responsible for verifying casual workers’ attendance. Wong Wai-fung and Wong Pak-kan were casual workers hired by Logistics Network for recruiting and overseeing other causal workers at the distribution center. Logistics Network required all casual workers to clock their time cards when reporting duty and getting off work, and to sign on a daily attendance sheet to verify their on-duty time.

The alleged offence took place between June 2019 and April 2021. The four defendants were alleged to have conspired with two other persons to defraud PARKnSHOP by falsely representing to the supermarket that 13 casual workers had worked at the distribution center for the working hours shown on their respective attendance records, inducing PARKnSHOP to release wages totalling over $3.2 million for the workers.

The ICAC investigation, which arose from a corruption complaint, revealed that the defendants allegedly rented an office near the distribution center and purchased a clocking machine of the same model used in the distribution center. They allegedly fabricated the attendance records of the 13 “ghost workers” to deceive the distribution centre of wages and shared the fraudulent gains. Enquiries also revealed that the 13 casual workers concerned had not worked at the center at the material time and they had not received any wages. Their signatures on the daily attendance sheets were forged and they did not sign on any wage acknowledgements.

PARKnSHOP has rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.