Bank manager gets community service for ICAC disclosure
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A 43-year-old former bank customer service manager was sentenced at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts on Friday, 4 September, after earlier being convicted of unlawfully disclosing that her father was under investigation by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption. Magistrate Tsang Chung-yiu said the case amounted to a technical offence and imposed 120 hours of community service instead of immediate jail.
Key Points
- The defendant, Lau Sui-or (劉穗娥), was charged with disclosing to Lau Cho-pui (劉灶培) that he was the subject of an ICAC investigation during an unknown date between 5 February and 23 July 2025.
- The case arose after the ICAC wrote to Chiyu Banking Corporation in late January 2025 seeking account information, and the letter was passed to the To Kwa Wan branch for follow-up
- Because Lau worked at that branch and handled law-enforcement enquiries, she was authorised to view the ICAC letter and learned that the account under scrutiny had been opened by a family member
- Evidence cited in court said Lau had been employed as customer service manager at Chiyu Bank's To Kwa Wan branch since August 2021, and that only she and certain branch managers should have had access to the internal email
- The ICAC letter stated that both the request and its contents were confidential and warned that disclosing such information could breach section 30 of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance
Why It Matters
The sentence leaves the conviction in place while avoiding custody, underscoring that confidential anti-corruption inquiries remain legally protected even when disclosures are made within a family. For bank staff and other employees who handle law-enforcement requests, the case is a reminder that misuse of access to restricted information can still attract criminal penalties under Hong Kong law