EditorialHong Kong’s anti-corruption credentials on display in handling of fraud case

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said a registered nurse and an occupational therapist were among five people arrested in July after an investigation sparked by a complaint last year from the Social Welfare Department. The case involved the Community Care Service Voucher Scheme for the Elderly.

Matthew Chang Chor-ming, principal investigator in the ICAC operations department, said the group defrauded the government by “exploiting residents who were unfamiliar with the scheme or manipulating their greed”. The three women and two men allegedly collected the funds through fake visit records and shared the money with the residents’ family members. Three of them worked at a private care agency established by the nurse. All five are out on bail.

The fraud revolved around government vouchers the elderly can use to directly purchase services ranging from day care to at-home support. As of August, 12,000 elderly people were using the vouchers and 319 recognised service operators were under the scheme. The care agencies served 20 to 200 elderly residents per month and took in about HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) in subsidies. Chang said the case was complex because the two agencies mixed genuine services with fraudulent ones.

The case also underscores the ICAC’s effectiveness. Set up in 1974, the agency has earned an international reputation for helping make Hong Kong one of the least corrupt places in the world. All in the city should applaud its recent work to protect resources needed by some of Hong Kong’s most vulnerable residents.