Ex-employee from troubled school arrested over theft

The police on Wednesday confirmed they had arrested a former employee of a school in Tsim Sha Tsui suspected of embezzling almost HK$600,000 in school funds.

The force said it received a report from the school on July 15 about HK$599,000 being stolen by a former employee. After an investigation, they arrested a 34-year-old man, surnamed Wong, on August 7 on suspicion of theft.

A police source said the man worked at the private Mount Kelly School Hong Kong. It’s alleged that he transferred tuition fees to his virtual bank accounts.

In a statement, Mount Kelly confirmed that it found out about the alleged theft by the employee following an internal investigation, and reported the case to the police in July.

It also said it had fired him in the same month.

Mount Kelly School Hong Kong has been mired in financial trouble in recent months, blaming an exodus of students during the 2019 social unrest and saying it has been gravely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The school told parents in June that it needed to suspend classes, to give it time to sort out its finances and carry out restructuring. It also cited other problems such as overdue tuition fees and confusing accounting records.

The Education Bureau said at the time it was investigating the suspension after receiving complaints, and reminded the school to prioritise students’ interests and pay staff as soon as possible.
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Last updated: 2021-08-11 HKT 17:31