Case against tax chief and her husband a fantasy, court told

The defence lawyer for a deputy tax chief and her husband yesterday asked a court to dismiss the case against them as it was a 'fantasy and a misunderstanding'.

In the District Court, Clive Grossman SC applied for the case to be thrown out, saying Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue Agnes Sin Law Yuk-lin, 53, and her husband, Civil Engineering Department senior engineer Sin Kam-chuen, 53, had no case to answer.

The Sins are accused of using shelf companies in an 'elaborate scheme' with close friends to swindle the Government out of more than $330,000 in rental allowances between 1983 and 1986.

Mr Grossman said the case against the couple had been misconceived and the allegation had no foundation. He said there was no evidence to support they had a financial interest in the property they were renting or that they had any intention of deceiving the Government.

He argued that the Government had never defined the meaning of 'financial interest' and left civil servants to define the term for themselves.

'Given the absence of definition and any assistance from the Government, how can it be possibly said that these two people thought they had a financial interest?' Mr Grossman asked.