Businessman Balram Chainrai's ex-secretary faces 11 new counts of theft and fraud
Former employee of one-time Portsmouth owner accused of stealing from him, others
A secretary accused of stealing about HK$46 million from businessman Balram Chainrai, the former owner of English soccer club Portsmouth, faces 11 new charges of theft and money laundering, a court heard yesterday.
Tong will face the new charges at Eastern Court, as the prosecution applied to consolidate its case with that of another defendant, Law Ka-shing. Law is accused of helping Tong launder money from the alleged theft and fraud.
Law and Tong jointly face four of the 11 new charges, which accuse them of dealing with proceeds of illegal activity.
The remaining seven theft charges allege Tong stole various non-cash assets from Chainrai and companies associated with him. But the charge sheets filed by prosecutors did not offer specific details as to her alleged method.
The prosecution told the court that it would drop two of the original 19 charges, before adding the 11 new charges against Tong. The defendant, who said she was unemployed, now faces a total of 28 charges.
Tong has already been accused of applying for credit cards and cashing cheques in Chainrai's name, as well as signing up for a supplementary card with her own name, for which she claimed to have his approval.