Hong Kong police have arrested three people on suspicion of defrauding a university student union of more than HK$1.3 million (US$166,670) using fake invoices.
Two suspects were Baptist University students – the chairwoman, 23, and a finance committee member, 20, of the union’s temporary administrative panel – a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. The third suspect, 27, is reported to be the woman’s boyfriend.
The chairwoman was a fourth-year student while the 20-year-man was in second year at the university, the insider said.
He said the trio were detained last week on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud – an offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail.
Detectives from the Kowloon West regional crime unit launched an investigation after the Baptist University student union reported last Monday that HK$1.3 million had been misappropriated from its three bank accounts for personal use.
“The two arrested students were suspected of using false invoices to claim expenses related to organising social events of the union,” the source said.
The insider said more than 10 invoices were allegedly used to claim HK$1.31 million from the union between December 2023 and July this year, with the funds transferred to the bank accounts of the three suspects.
“A preliminary investigation suggested a significant portion of the money was used to help the boyfriend of the female suspect settle his debts,” he said.
The Post has learned that the 27-year-old man, a mahjong parlour worker, is a suspected member of the Wo Shing Wo triad.
After gathering evidence, officers arrested the three suspects on Thursday and Friday.
Without naming the university, a police spokesman confirmed the arrest of three people on suspicion of misappropriating around HK$1.3 million from three bank accounts of a student union.
The spokesman said the three suspects had been released on bail pending further investigation. They are required to report back to police next month.
Another source said officers were verifying with involved parties from the social events to confirm the issuance of invoices and the accuracy of the sum involved.
He said further arrests had not been ruled out as the investigation was ongoing.
The Post has reached out to the university for comment.
About two months ago, a religion and philosophy graduate was jailed for more than two years for stealing HK$800,000 from the same university’s student union to speculate on securities.
On June 17, Kowloon City Court sentenced Yiu Hei-chun, the union’s financial secretary, to 25 months in jail on two charges of theft.
The 24-year-old, who had said he wanted to use the cash to make a profit in the markets and cover his mother’s medical bills, was also ordered to pay HK$220,000 to the union, the amount he and his family could raise as restitution.
The court heard the student got an administrator at Baptist University’s student union to sign two cheques after he pretended the money was for organising social events.
Yiu, who earned a bachelor’s degree, deposited the HK$800,000 in his savings account and moved HK$600,000 of it into an investment account between February and May last year.
Deputy Magistrate Wallis Chung Wing-sze said Yiu had breached the trust placed in him as the union’s financial secretary. She added his money problems were not an excuse for breaking the law.
