On 10/12, police officer Wong Yiu-chung was found guilty of falsifying documents and abuse of power by the court. The 34-year-old officer dishonestly obtained approval from his superiors to close 10 investigations between November 2022 and July 2023. Wong has been remanded in custody pending a background assessment and is scheduled for sentencing on 31/12.
Wong, who served as an officer in the Sham Shui Po district crime investigation unit since 2012, had reportedly complained to several superiors about the intense stress and heavy workload of his current duties. Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure a transfer within the police force or to another government agency. This frustration appears to have motivated his actions.
His fraudulent activities began in November 2022, when Wong first fabricated a statement from a fraud victim. Instead of directly verifying witness statements, he invented declarations claiming that victims wished to withdraw their complaints.
Using similar deceptive tactics, Wong petitioned his superiors to suspend investigations into nine other cases involving fraud, theft, and extortion. Crucially, he withheld this information from the victims, who were still hoping to recover their lost money or receive compensation.
The impact on victims was significant. An 82-year-old woman, who lost approximately 33,000 USD in a phone scam, stated that due to age-related ailments, she trusted officer Wong and signed a stack of papers after reporting the crime, unaware of their contents. Other victims reported unknowingly signing agreements to withdraw their complaints, without fully understanding what they were signing.
According to the allegations, Wong employed various deceptive methods to coerce individuals into signing blank statements or outright forged their signatures. These false statements then served as grounds for Wong to present to his superiors for suspending the investigations, effectively preventing the victims from obtaining compensation.
Ironically, Wong had received 23 commendations from regional and district commanders during his 11 years of service before his suspension in August 2023.
Hai Thu (According to SCMP)
