Former NUS lecturer found guilty of conspirary to defraud HK university
By Channel NewsAsia's HK Correspondent Leslie Tang | Posted: 11 March 2010 1545 hrs
HONG KONG : A former lecturer at the National University of Singapore has been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud a university in Hong Kong.
Dr Vivienne Wee was an associate professor at Hong Kong's City University at the time.
58-year-old Wee and her brother Gregory were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the university in relation to a US$128,000 IT contract.
The ICAC, Hong Kong's anti-graft body, accused the pair of conspiring to hide from City U, and that she had a conflict of interest with the company that was the actual service provider of the IT contract.
The IT contract was for a website and intranet project headed by Wee. It was won by the company Sparkland. But the job was actually done by Locus Interactive, run by Wee's sister-in-law, Ng Ngar-Sheung.
Both the owner of Sparkland and Ng were also found guilty of conspiracy to defraud. The owner of Sparkland had transferred the university's payment to Locus, and received a cut of the fees.
Wee is a founding member of AWARE, one of Singapore's most established civil-society groups.
Wee's lawyer had asked the judge to take into account his client's good character and impressive academic career. He urged the judge to consider a lighter suspended sentence or community service.
The judge has ordered background reports on all defendants be presented in court on March 25, and sentencing is expected on the same day.
- CNA
By Channel NewsAsia's HK Correspondent Leslie Tang | Posted: 11 March 2010 1545 hrs
HONG KONG : A former lecturer at the National University of Singapore has been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud a university in Hong Kong.
Dr Vivienne Wee was an associate professor at Hong Kong's City University at the time.
58-year-old Wee and her brother Gregory were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the university in relation to a US$128,000 IT contract.
The ICAC, Hong Kong's anti-graft body, accused the pair of conspiring to hide from City U, and that she had a conflict of interest with the company that was the actual service provider of the IT contract.
The IT contract was for a website and intranet project headed by Wee. It was won by the company Sparkland. But the job was actually done by Locus Interactive, run by Wee's sister-in-law, Ng Ngar-Sheung.
Both the owner of Sparkland and Ng were also found guilty of conspiracy to defraud. The owner of Sparkland had transferred the university's payment to Locus, and received a cut of the fees.
Wee is a founding member of AWARE, one of Singapore's most established civil-society groups.
Wee's lawyer had asked the judge to take into account his client's good character and impressive academic career. He urged the judge to consider a lighter suspended sentence or community service.
The judge has ordered background reports on all defendants be presented in court on March 25, and sentencing is expected on the same day.
- CNA
