A then head of the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre (Rehabilitation Centre) of the CUHK Medical Centre (CUHKMC) was charged by the ICAC with fraud for allegedly making false representations that professional services such as consultations and procedures were personally provided to patients to defraud the CUHKMC of relevant professional fees. He also faces charges for disclosing the identity of persons under ICAC investigation and perverting the course of public justice.

The ICAC investigation stemmed from a complaint lodged by the CUHKMC in August 2025, alleging that certain staff members had submitted services records containing false information to defraud the CUHKMC of money, contravening Section 9(3) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. Following investigation and legal advice from the Department of Justice, the ICAC yesterday (June 15) laid charges against Lau Mun-cheung, 65, then head of the Rehabilitation Centre and Consultant Physiotherapist of the CUHKMC; and Tang Lai-ting, 51, then Chief Human Resources Officer of the CUHKMC.

Lau faces six charges in total – one count of fraud, contrary to section 16A(1) of the Theft Ordinance; one count of disclosing the identity, etc. of a person being investigated, contrary to section 30(1)(b) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and four counts of perverting the course of public justice, contrary to the Common Law. Tang faces one count of disclosing the identity, etc. of a person being investigated. The duo were released on bail and their case will be mentioned at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (June 17).

At the material time, Lau was responsible for managing the operation of the Rehabilitation Centre and supervising approximately 20 physiotherapists. Under his employment contracts, Lau was entitled to receive professional fees from the CUHKMC for professional services, including consultations, procedures and operations, provided personally to patients.

The fraud charge alleges that between July 2021 and September 2025, Lau falsely represented to the CUHKMC that he had personally provided professional services to patients at the CUHKMC or its designated facilities, and with intent to defraud CUHKMC to pay him professional fees.

The ICAC investigation revealed that on various occasions during the abovementioned period, Lau instructed different physiotherapists to provide professional services to patients falsely booked under his name. In fact, Lau had never personally provided any professional services to those patients.

The two charges regarding the disclosure of the identity of a person being investigated allege that on the day the ICAC received CUHKMC’s complaint and the following day (i.e. August 26 and 27, 2025), Tang, knowing or suspecting that the ICAC was conducting a corruption investigation, disclosed to Lau that he was the subject of the ICAC investigation without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. Meanwhile, it is suspected that Lau illegally disclosed to two administrative staff members of the Rehabilitation Centre on August 27, 2025 that he was the subject of the ICAC investigation.

The remaining four charges allege that on various occasions between August and September 2025, Lau perverted the course of public justice by instructing four administrative staff members and two physiotherapists of the Rehabilitation Centre to mislead the ICAC in the corruption investigation, refuse interview invitations from the ICAC or destroy the evidence.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the CUHKMC rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case. In light of the issues identified in the present case, the ICAC has assisted the CUHKMC in reviewing relevant operational procedures and strengthening corruption prevention measures to enhance integrity management and guard against corruption and other malpractices.

Reference URL: https://www.icac.org.hk/en/p/press/index_id_4970.html

Source industry: Medical and Healthcare