- Joined
- May 31, 2013
- Messages
- 60
- Points
- 0
Hong Kong kindergarten principal in designer gifts scandal cleared of graft charges
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 11 April, 2015, 3:51pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 11 April, 2015, 4:08pm
Julie Chu [email protected]
Kindergarten principal Li Ling-sau was cleared of all corruption-related charges. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A Hong Kong kindergarten principal who faced court for accepting designer clothes and accessories from a student’s mother was cleared of corruption charges today, as the court found no evidence to show it amounted to bribery.
The prosecution argued Li Ling-sau, 44, the principal of Victoria (Harbour Green) Kindergarten, accepted gifts such as a designer scarf and jacket from a pupil’s parent, Wong Wing, which allegedly resulted in Wong’s son receiving special privileges.
The court heard that the student was allowed to have an "exclusive" birthday party on campus - in which his mother brought a cake to school - and was allegedly able to “jump the queue” for the school’s five-day pre-nursery class, which had a long waiting list. The son was originally on a two-day class.
The school nurse and teachers were also tasked to give the boy his personal medication, prosecutors said.
The Kowloon City Court cleared Li of the charges of accepting advantages and one count of inciting others to accept an advantage.
The latter charge involved Li allegedly inciting teachers at the school to accept three designer purses from Wong: one from Bally and two from Salvatore Ferragamo valued at HK$1,975 in total.
The court was told Li accepted a Moiselle jacket worth HK$5,100 and a HK$1,498 Bally scarf between December 2012 and May 2013.
Wong, 39, was also cleared of four counts of offering an advantage.
Magistrate Chu Chung-keung said that while the gift-giving was “suspicious”, there was “insufficient evidence to infer [Wong] using the gifts for build up goodwill or [gain an] advantage”.
Li claimed in court that the school had an unwritten policy that teachers could accept gifts if the refusal would cause embarrassment.
However, the policy holds that if the teachers accept those gifts, in return, they must buy books or toys with a similar value for the pupil. The policy was not set in writing until the court case came to light.
