University of Hong Kong professor charged in HK$2.2 million bribery case

A University of Hong Kong (HKU) associate professor, Wong Ka-wai, and three others have been charged with 11 counts of conspiracy to bribe a public officer and fraud. The defendants appeared in the Eastern District Magistrates' Courts following an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

Wong is alleged to have accepted approximately HK$2.2 million in bribes from Man-ho Pun, a director and shareholder of Immersive Learning Lab Company Limited and Hong Kong Longqi Technology Education Limited. In exchange, Wong allegedly facilitated the awarding of seven IT education project contracts worth over HK$10 million to Pun's companies and provided preferential treatment during the bidding process. These projects included a virtual reality e-learning platform for primary schools and a technology cultivation program for high school students.

The group, which includes Pun's wife, Wai-er Chu, and nephew, Chun Cheung, also faces fraud charges. They are accused of deceiving HKU into paying HK$120,000 in service fees by falsely claiming that Chu and Cheung had provided services under a research project development agreement.

Wong and Pun were granted bail of HK$10,000 and HK$50,000 respectively, subject to conditions including not leaving Hong Kong and not contacting prosecution witnesses. The case has been adjourned until November 17 to allow for the preparation of documents for transfer to the District Court.