A former principal of a nursery school run by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals has been accused of cheating students' parents out of more than HK$120,000 and taking a bribe from a subordinate. Karen Tsoi Ching-yin, 35, former principal of Ng Sheung Lan Memorial Nursery School, is facing one count of soliciting an advantage and one of conspiracy to defraud under Section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. She will appear in Eastern Court this morning to face the charges, laid by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. The bribery charge alleges that on July 17 last year Tsoi solicited a loan of HK$60,000 from a childcare worker at the nursery school as a reward for helping the worker to stay at the school. Tsoi is also alleged to have conspired with another person to defraud parents of students at the school between January and September last year. The charge says she falsely represented to parents that they were required to pay for English and Putonghua tutorials organised by an education centre, while the fees were wholly borne by the Tung Wah Group. The ICAC's investigations revealed the fees defrauded from parents amounted to HK$122,100, the ICAC said.
