‘Former financial controller of Hong Kong private school arrested on suspicion of stealing HK$600,000 in student fees’

Police source says alleged theft took place just days after the man was sacked last month for poor financial management

School had been struggling financially for months, and was falling behind on expenses

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Mount Kelly School, in Tsim Sha Tsui complex. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 1:58pm, 11 Aug 2021Updated: 11:14pm, 11 Aug 2021

The former financial controller of a British private school in Hong Kong that struggled to pay its staff and rent this year has been arrested on suspicion of stealing nearly HK$600,000 (US$77,100) from the institution after being fired last month, a police source has said.

The source said on Wednesday that the suspect was picked up by crime squad officers outside the campus of Mount Kelly School in Austin Road in Tsim Sha Tsui on Saturday. The 34-year-old, who joined the school in 2016, was understood to have been sacked on July 7 for poor financial management.

Police launched an investigation after receiving a report from the school about the alleged theft in mid-July.

“A preliminary investigation suggested HK$599,000 was transferred from the bank account of the school to the suspect’s personal bank account,” the source said.

The transfer was made days after the man was let go in July, with the money involved coming from students’ school fees.