15 suspicious cases uncovered in Hong Kong tech voucher programme
Hong Kong authorities have referred 15 suspicious cases under a government subsidy scheme to law enforcement in the past three years, while also conducting random checks on 1,860 projects funded by the programme.
Sun Dong, the secretary for innovation, technology and industry, in a written reply to questions by a lawmaker on Wednesday regarding the suspected abuse of the Technology Voucher Programme, said authorities would recover funding from applicants who were convicted in cases.
The Innovation and Technology Commission introduced the subsidy scheme in 2016 to help local businesses and other organisations improve their operations through technological upgrades, with the programme ceasing to accept new applications after December 31, 2024.
Police in 2024, however, had uncovered syndicate operations involving fraudulent applications in the scheme, with the alleged scams involving 50 applications to the programme.
'In the past three years, the [Technology Voucher Programme] Secretariat has conducted random on-site checks on 1,860 projects and referred 15 suspicious cases to law enforcement agencies for follow-up,' Sun wrote.
'The Secretariat will recover the funding from applicants convicted in the cases. As the investigations/judicial proceedings by the law enforcement agencies are still ongoing, we have no record of funding recovery for the time being.'
Sun noted that to ensure the proper use of public funds, the programme's secretariat would 'rigorously' review the applications, final project reports and supplementary information submitted.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Child sexual abuse cases in Hong Kong nearly double over decade
The number of child sexual abuse cases in Hong Kong has nearly doubled over the past decade, reaching more than 500 last year, with over one in five of the perpetrators aged 16 and below, authorities have said amid a rise in harmful incidents targeting youngsters. Lawmakers on Wednesday called for the government to urgently address a rise in the number of younger abusers. They also asked authorities to release the guidelines for the coming mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse as soon as possible. According to the latest figures from the Social Welfare Department, 1,504 child abuse cases were recorded last year, up from 1,457 in 2023 and 1,439 in 2022. Last year's figure included 595 cases of physical abuse, 522 incidents of sexual abuse, 328 cases of neglect, 43 reports of multiple abuse and another 16 involving psychological abuse. The data showed that 120 of the 542 perpetrators in sexual abuse cases last year were aged 16 and below, accounting for 22 per cent of the tally. Ninety-six of them were aged 17 to 22. Among the perpetrators of sexual abuse, 181 were the victims' schoolmates, friends or peers.
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
15 suspicious cases uncovered in Hong Kong tech voucher programme
Hong Kong authorities have referred 15 suspicious cases under a government subsidy scheme to law enforcement in the past three years, while also conducting random checks on 1,860 projects funded by the programme. Sun Dong, the secretary for innovation, technology and industry, in a written reply to questions by a lawmaker on Wednesday regarding the suspected abuse of the Technology Voucher Programme, said authorities would recover funding from applicants who were convicted in cases. The Innovation and Technology Commission introduced the subsidy scheme in 2016 to help local businesses and other organisations improve their operations through technological upgrades, with the programme ceasing to accept new applications after December 31, 2024. Police in 2024, however, had uncovered syndicate operations involving fraudulent applications in the scheme, with the alleged scams involving 50 applications to the programme. 'In the past three years, the [Technology Voucher Programme] Secretariat has conducted random on-site checks on 1,860 projects and referred 15 suspicious cases to law enforcement agencies for follow-up,' Sun wrote. 'The Secretariat will recover the funding from applicants convicted in the cases. As the investigations/judicial proceedings by the law enforcement agencies are still ongoing, we have no record of funding recovery for the time being.' Sun noted that to ensure the proper use of public funds, the programme's secretariat would 'rigorously' review the applications, final project reports and supplementary information submitted.
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police launch manhunt for murder suspect, arrest girlfriend
Hong Kong police are searching for a man and have arrested his girlfriend over the alleged murder of a woman reported missing last Saturday, after the force's investigation uncovered sightings of a male suspect dumping suspicious, heavy-looking bags. Superintendent Gar Kam-lam of the force's Kowloon West regional crime headquarters said on Wednesday that the alleged victim, a 49-year-old Vietnamese woman, was last seen entering a building at 152 Castle Peak Road in Cheung Sha Wan. The woman was not observed leaving the building afterwards, while the male suspect was seen in her company and spotted travelling to and from the site multiple times. 'The man was seen going in and out of the building multiple times and was seen carrying heavy-looking objects and bags. He was seen going into alleys and dumping objects in multiple rubbish bins,' Gar said. The superintendent said officers started to suspect foul play on Monday and decided to check a building on 152 Castle Peak Road on Tuesday evening. Officers at the scene found no one inside the flat but uncovered suspected blood splatter stains.
