Thirteen parents and a middleman have been found guilty of offering around HK$1.1 million in bribes to a former administrator of an English Schools Foundation (ESF) international kindergarten to secure priority admission for 12 children.
Deputy Judge Amy Chan convicted the 14 defendants – 13 parents from 11 families and a businessman – of 13 bribery charges on Tuesday, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said.
She remanded the defendants, aged 35 to 48, in custody and adjourned the case to March 31 for sentencing.
A co-defendant, 56-year-old Fatima Rumjahn, the former administrator at the ESF Wu Kai Sha International Kindergarten, pleaded guilty to nine bribery charges in October 2024 and testified against the 14.
The offences stemmed from a corruption complaint filed with the ICAC. The case involved K1 admission applications at the ESF kindergarten over three academic years from 2019 to 2022. Rumjahn was responsible for handling applications at the school between September 2018 and August 2021.
The court heard that the parents and the businessman, Siu Yu-pong, offered bribes ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$200,000 to Rumjahn in exchange for K1 placements for a dozen children, including the daughter of Siu’s business partner.
The ICAC identified the other 13 defendants as Cora Lam and her husband, Cheung Ka-ming; Marissa Choy and her partner, Lee Chun-long; Julia Wong; Vida Lau; Ma Yin-man; Li Jiebing; Tsui Wai-him; Kong Ching-men; Michelle Wong; Mak Wai-ki; and Zhe Shuangye.
The court also heard that Kong “incited” Rumjahn to accept a bribe from Choy to secure a K1 placement for Choy’s child.
Judge Chan said on Tuesday that a prison sentence was “inevitable” for the group.
The ICAC said on Tuesday that its investigation revealed that the 12 children had passed the K1 admission interviews and were placed at the bottom of the waiting list.
“However, they were given priority in the admission and were enrolled in the programme after the defendants paid bribes,” the anti-graft watchdog added.
It also said the ESF rendered full assistance to the ICAC during the investigation.
“A culture of integrity is an important foundation of Hong Kong’s education. The ICAC reminds parents that when making school admission applications for their children, they should never offer bribes to staff members in exchange for school placements,” it added.