A professor cheated two universities of $766,000 by making bogus housing allowance claims, a court heard yesterday.
Kenneth Yiu Lik-kin, 38, denied he filed forged documents concerning his housing arrangements to City University and Polytechnic University.
The universities do not allow staff to use housing allowances to buy property or live in flats they have 'a financial interest in'. But Yiu allegedly put the purchase agreement in his brother-in-law's name, the District Court heard.
He told his brother-in-law, Chan Kwong-yu, his marriage was foundering and wanted 'the property in Mr Chan's name to avoid distributing his assets to his wife in case of a divorce', prosecutor Maggie Yeung said.
Between February 1992 and August 1993, Yiu, an accountant, taught at City University. He applied for a housing allowance and allegedly gave the school a tenancy agreement for a flat in Taikoo Shing, which he claimed was rented from Ko Wai-choy for $22,000 a month.
The university paid Yiu $373,885 for rent and he allegedly supplied them with forged rent receipts. Mr Ko said he never rented the flat nor supplied the receipts, the court heard.
