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.

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.

The social worker was arrested by police on suspicion of fraud in January, but was only formally charged in March.