Hong Kong actress Rainky Wai granted bail in HK$5.8 million fraud case

A Hong Kong actress who headed a now-defunct beauty centre has been granted bail after facing charges for deceiving a shareholder into investing HK$5.8 million (US$745,620) in the business and misusing part of HK$3 million in company funds.

Lau Sin-wah, 31, popularly known by her stage name Rainky Wai Yue-sam, attended a hearing on Monday morning at Eastern Court to learn that she would face three criminal charges of theft, fraud and attempted fraud.

She is scheduled to return to Eastern Court on June 30, at which point her case will be transferred to the District Court, where she is expected to enter pleas to each count.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption said last week its investigation found Lau had convinced Liu Lok-yi, a fellow artist in the entertainment industry, to invest HK$5 million in ScR Dr Pro Holdings Limited, an aesthetic medical centre where she served as a director. The centre is now defunct.

According to the anti-corruption watchdog, Lau had falsely inflated expenses for purchasing aesthetic medical equipment and renovations, and had stolen HK$3.1 million invested by Liu between May and September 2022.

The watchdog added that Lau had claimed to have invested an additional HK$1.68 million in renovations and that she had used up the company’s funds in an attempt to “induce” Liu into making a further payment of HK$800,000 for advertising.