Following an ICAC corruption investigation that revealed a supermarket chain’s employees had colluded with contractor staff to swindle over $3.2 million in wage payments from the supermarket over approximately two years by falsifying warehouse workers’ attendance records with an identical clocking machine the company used, five defendants pleaded guilty today (September 4) to conspiracy to defraud at the District Court.
The five defendants are Lau Kin-pong, 44, then senior supervisor at eCommercial Distribution Centre (the Centre) of PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited (PARKnSHOP); Tai Kin-man, 43, then assistant manager of Earnward Warehouse Limited (Earnward Warehouse), a contractor of PARKnSHOP; and Wong Wai-fung, 27; Wong Pak-kan, 28; and Lau Tsz-pan, 28, all then warehouse workers employed by Logistics Network Management Limited (Logistics Network), another contractor of PARKnSHOP.
They pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to the Common Law. They indicated their willingness to assist the prosecution. Judge Mr Ernest Lin Kam-hung adjourned sentencing to March 5, 2027, and remanded the defendants in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.
At the material time, Lau Kin-pong was a senior supervisor at the Centre of PARKnSHOP, which was responsible for sorting online orders and packing goods for distribution to customers. PARKnSHOP hired Logistics Network to provide warehouse workers for the Centre, while they were supervised by Earnward Warehouse. Logistics Network billed PARKnSHOP based on warehouse workers’ hours of service to facilitate wage payments.
All warehouse workers for Logistics Network were required to clock their time cards when reporting for duty and leaving work, and to sign daily attendance sheets to verify their on-duty time. These records were verified by Tai, assistant manager of Earnward Warehouse.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that between June 2019 and April 2021, the five defendants bought an identical clocking machine used at the Centre to fabricate attendance records for 13 Logistics Network warehouse workers, falsely reporting their hours of service to PARKnSHOP to swindle wage payments totalling over $3.2 million. In fact, the warehouse workers had never worked at the Centre at the material time. Their signatures on the time cards were forged and they had never received any wage payments.
The five defendants admitted that starting in 2019, they were invited by Lau Kin-pong’s supervisor, a warehouse operations manager at the Centre, to falsify attendance records to deceive PARKnSHOP into releasing wage payments. The ICAC investigation revealed that the defendants used personal data of former employees or job applicants to falsify the time cards of the 13 warehouse workers. The five defendants and the warehouse operations manager then shared the deceived sum totalling over $3.2 million.
Co-defendant Cheng Cheuk-kei, 43, then warehouse operations manager at the Centre of PARKnSHOP, earlier pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud. His trial is scheduled for February 10, 2027.
PARKnSHOP, Earnward Warehouse and Logistics Network rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Jacky Jim, assisted by ICAC officer Xavier Leung.
Import Data
Following an ICAC corruption investigation that revealed a supermarket chain’s employees had colluded with contractor staff to swindle over $3.2 million in wage payments from the supermarket over approximately two years by falsifying warehouse workers’ attendance records with an identical clocking machine the company used, five defendants pleaded guilty today (September 4) to conspiracy to defraud at the District Court.
The five defendants are Lau Kin-pong, 44, then senior supervisor at eCommercial Distribution Centre (the Centre) of PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited (PARKnSHOP); Tai Kin-man, 43, then assistant manager of Earnward Warehouse Limited (Earnward Warehouse), a contractor of PARKnSHOP; and Wong Wai-fung, 27; Wong Pak-kan, 28; and Lau Tsz-pan, 28, all then warehouse workers employed by Logistics Network Management Limited (Logistics Network), another contractor of PARKnSHOP.
They pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud, contrary to the Common Law. They indicated their willingness to assist the prosecution. Judge Mr Ernest Lin Kam-hung adjourned sentencing to March 5, 2027, and remanded the defendants in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.
At the material time, Lau Kin-pong was a senior supervisor at the Centre of PARKnSHOP, which was responsible for sorting online orders and packing goods for distribution to customers. PARKnSHOP hired Logistics Network to provide warehouse workers for the Centre, while they were supervised by Earnward Warehouse. Logistics Network billed PARKnSHOP based on warehouse workers’ hours of service to facilitate wage payments.
All warehouse workers for Logistics Network were required to clock their time cards when reporting for duty and leaving work, and to sign daily attendance sheets to verify their on-duty time. These records were verified by Tai, assistant manager of Earnward Warehouse.
The ICAC investigation arose from a corruption complaint. Enquiries revealed that between June 2019 and April 2021, the five defendants bought an identical clocking machine used at the Centre to fabricate attendance records for 13 Logistics Network warehouse workers, falsely reporting their hours of service to PARKnSHOP to swindle wage payments totalling over $3.2 million. In fact, the warehouse workers had never worked at the Centre at the material time. Their signatures on the time cards were forged and they had never received any wage payments.
The five defendants admitted that starting in 2019, they were invited by Lau Kin-pong’s supervisor, a warehouse operations manager at the Centre, to falsify attendance records to deceive PARKnSHOP into releasing wage payments. The ICAC investigation revealed that the defendants used personal data of former employees or job applicants to falsify the time cards of the 13 warehouse workers. The five defendants and the warehouse operations manager then shared the deceived sum totalling over $3.2 million.
Co-defendant Cheng Cheuk-kei, 43, then warehouse operations manager at the Centre of PARKnSHOP, earlier pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud. His trial is scheduled for February 10, 2027.
PARKnSHOP, Earnward Warehouse and Logistics Network rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case.
The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Jacky Jim, assisted by ICAC officer Xavier Leung.
