Hong Kong liquidator KPMG claims it took 'stolen' Sing Pao records and hardware
Laptop, hard drive and HK$7,000 'stolen' while liquidators were in office
Accounting firm KPMG insisted yesterday that it was carrying out its duties as provisional liquidator in collecting computer hardware and electronic records from financially-troubled newspaper .
The clarification came after the cash-strapped media company reported to the police that a laptop, a hard drive from a desktop computer and HK$7,000 had been stolen from its east Kowloon office, hours after KPMG had held discussions with newspaper staff about its financial problems.
Police received a report from a staff member at about 3.45am yesterday, reporting that the hardware and cash had been stolen from its eighth-floor office at United Overseas Plaza on Lai Yip Street, Ngau Tau Kok.
The laptop and drive were worth HK$5,000 and HK$500 respectively. They were property, but the cash belonged to a worker.
Two employees of KPMG, the provisional liquidator of the daily's parent company, Sing Pao Media Enterprises, were in the office at the time of the incident, as well as a few employees, a police source said.
In a statement, KPMG called the allegations surrounding the theft and misappropriation of computer hard drives "entirely without foundation".
"In carrying out the duties given to them by the court, the provisional liquidators and their authorised personnel have been in attendance at 's offices. As part of their duties, the provisional liquidators are required to secure and copy information, including electronic records relating to the company and its subsidiaries," the firm explained. The cash was not mentioned in the statement.
Last night, officers were poring over security camera footage.
Police are treating the case as theft. No one has been arrested.
A staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, said the alleged theft took place in the newspaper's accounting department. He said he did not know what data was stored on the hard drive.
The incident added a new twist to the financial turmoil surrounding the city's oldest Chinese-language newspaper.
Sing Pao ceased printing on Friday after it failed to pay its printer, but is continuing to operate its website and phone app.
