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HKFP
6 days ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong activist sentenced to 120 hours of community service for defrauding gov't in welfare scheme
A Hong Kong activist has been handed 120 hours of community service for defrauding the government of HK$16,780 in welfare benefits from a subsidy scheme for the elderly. Eddie Tse, a 68-year-old licensed social worker, appeared at the Eastern Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning. He earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud relating to the government's Old Age Living Allowance scheme, which gives a monthly stipend to those aged 65 and above earning below a certain income. The judge sentenced Tse to 120 hours of community service, saying he took his remorse into account. 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 subsidy is means-tested with a monthly income cap of HK$10,710 for a single person, or HK$16,330 for a married couple. The SWD requires beneficiaries whose income exceeds the limit after the one-year grace period to declare to authorities, but Tse did not, the prosecution alleged. Tse was said to have hidden income from his part-time job as a supervisor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as well as commission for his work on the Social Workers Registration Board's disciplinary committee, which exceeded the Social Welfare Department's cap. His lawyer, Andy Chan, said during a mitigation hearing earlier this month that those jobs did not provide Tse with a fixed monthly income. At the sentencing, Magistrate David Cheung questioned why Tse had pleaded guilty if his case was that he had mistakenly believed he qualified for the welfare scheme after calculating and averaging his income by month. Chan said there was no conflict between Tse's guilty plea and his case, and that the basis of his plea direction was recklessness, as he had not made precise calculations to check his eligibility for the scheme. Legal aid application A veteran activist, Tse has advocated on a host of issues relating to his social work profession and beyond, from environmental matters to columbaria. The fraud case came to light after Tse applied for legal aid last August for his judicial review – a legal tool to challenge government policies – of the authorities' controversial plan to build the San Tin Technopole, a tech hub near the city's border with mainland China. Tse, as well as other activists and green groups, has expressed concerns about the potential harm to wetland conservation efforts. Legal aid applications are means-tested, meaning they are subject to the authorities' review of applicants' financial circumstances. Tse's application was left hanging for months, prompting the court to delay the judicial review. Tse was arrested for fraud in January, and days later, his legal aid application was rejected. The judicial review was dismissed in April, after a High Court judge barred former pro-democracy councillor Debby Chan from taking over the challenge from Tse. During hearings related to the judicial review, Tse's lawyer said he and his family members had been on the receiving end of harassment due to his attempt to challenge the government.
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
Retired Hong Kong social worker admits defrauding authorities out of HK$16,780
A retired Hong Kong social worker behind a dropped legal challenge against the approval of the San Tin Technopole project's environmental study has admitted to concealing his financial assets to defraud authorities out of HK$16,780 (US$2,137) in welfare benefits. Eddie Tse Sai-kit on Thursday pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud for obtaining monthly aid of HK$4,195 on four occasions without notifying the Social Welfare Department that his income exceeded the limit for receiving an old age living allowance. The 68-year-old defendant was arrested early this year while he was challenging an environmental impact assessment report that endorsed the development of a technology hub near the mainland Chinese border. Despite securing permission from the High Court to commence judicial review proceedings, Tse later dropped the case , citing 'widespread harassment and intimidation'. The court heard that Tse had applied for an old age living allowance in June 2023 and claimed his monthly income was HK$5,000, which was below the then limit of HK$10,710. He received a total of HK$80,460 from the department between July 2023 and December 2024. But the social worker failed to declare his earnings from Polytechnic University, where he had worked as a part-time supervisor from January 2021 to May this year.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong social worker who mounted judicial challenge charged with welfare fraud
A Hong Kong social worker who earlier launched a judicial challenge against the government's approval of an environmental study of the San Tin Technopole project has been charged with defrauding social welfare authorities to obtain more than HK$16,000 (US$2,049) in old age allowance. Advertisement Eddie Tse Sai-kit, 67, was accused of failing to declare that his income and net assets had exceeded the authorities' limit for making an application for old age living allowance. He allegedly obtained monthly aid of HK$4,195 four times from the Social Welfare Department between last June and January this year. Tse last year sought to overturn the decision of authorities to approve an environmental impact report on San Tin Technopole, saying it breached the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and lacked public consultation. But he withdrew the legal challenge earlier this year after he became a target of 'widespread harassment and intimidation', with his family suffering from mail threats and online doxxing. He was also refused legal aid to bring the legal action forward, despite the presiding judge agreeing that the case was of great public interest Advertisement
