Tax chief faces jail over scam

The deputy head of the tax department faces jail and the loss of her pension of up to $6.6 million after being found guilty yesterday of swindling the Government out of more than $330,000 in rental allowances 17 years ago.

District Court Judge Derek Pang Wai-cheong convicted Deputy Inland Revenue Commissioner Agnes Sin Law Yuk-lin, 53, on one count of using a document with intent to deceive the Government, a charge she had denied.

Sin - believed to be the most senior official convicted for an allowances scam - will be sentenced on Monday with her husband, Civil Engineering Department senior engineer Sin Kam-chuen, 53, who was convicted of aiding and abetting the offence. He also denied the charge.

Judge Pang found the couple had intended to deceive the Government when they submitted an application for rental allowances that contained false information.

The Sins' North Point property was bought in 1983 through a shelf company, Takestep Co. A flat in the same estate was bought by close friend Fan Sai-yee and his wife through another shelf company, Rocksona Trading Company (HK). After the purchases, shares were exchanged between the two companies.

Mr Fan's wife was a classmate of Agnes Sin at Hong Kong Polytechnic and was working with her in the department.