Ex-HK official charged with housing fraud

HONG KONG - The Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong Wednesday jointly charged former Secretary for Development Mak Chai-kwong and Highways Department Assistant Director Tsang King-man over an alleged HK$700,000 (about $90,310) housing fraud.

Between June 8, 1985 and Dec 31, 1990, Mak, 62, and Tsang, 57, are alleged to have defrauded the government of private tenancy allowances totaling HK$445,000 and HK$260,000 respectively, by falsely representing that they did not have a financial or proprietary interest in the flat they leased, and that the lease in relation to each of them was a genuine lease with an unrelated third party.

They are also alleged to have concealed and not disclosed that they each had a financial or proprietary interest in the flat they leased and that the lease was with the wife of the other.

They have been released on bail, but will appear in a local court on Thursday.