TVB executive Virginia Lok Yee-ling would have not approved an appearance by actresses at a book signing by general manager Stephen Chan Chi-wan had she known there was a HK$300,000 commercial deal involved, Chan's corruption trial heard yesterday.
Lok, controller of production resources, told the District Court she accepted Chan's request immediately because she 'deeply believed' in the general manager, who was her boss.
'When I consented to artists' appearance in the booking-signing event, I thought it was solely for them to show their support,' she said.
Lok was testifying at the trial of Chan and two others, who are accused of defrauding the city's biggest television station. Chan, 51, and his former personal assistant Edthancy Tseng Pei-kun, 28, are also accused of cheating five actresses out of their commissions and concealing a commercial deal.
Lok said she assigned five actresses to attend Chan's book signing on February 7 last year to show their support for 'the boss'.
She drew up a draft artist list immediately after she was told of Chan's request. But Chan said the artists suggested by Lok were 'not good enough' and demanded popular actresses Charmaine Sheh Sze-man and Tavia Yeung Yi, the court heard.
Lok said that at that point, she had some reservations as Sheh and Yeung were tied up with drama shootings.
