Education University of Hong Kong seeks to distance itself from alleged fraud mastermind
- Education University of Hong Kong wants to remove Roy Cho Kwai-chee’s name from its main building, but has found it difficult to do so
- Cho Kwai Chee Foundation donated US$3.2 million in 2016 to have his name on the university building
Roy Cho Kwai-chee, the alleged mastermind in one of Hong Kong’s largest financial fraud investigations, appears to be a persona non grata as far as the recipients of his philanthropy are concerned.
The Education University of Hong Kong, which named the main administration building after him on the back of a HK$25 million donation (US$3.2 million) in 2016, is trying to remove his name, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The nearly 9,000 students and staff at the university, which is dedicated to teacher education, are familiar with the name Cho Kwai Chee, the former Convoy Global Holdings director for the past three years.
In August 2016, 600 guests including former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung and the then secretary for food and health Ko Wing-man, attended a ceremony to rename the building after the Cho Kwai Chee Foundation “in appreciation of a generous donation” from the foundation.
Although the university has not disclosed the sum, a source said that it was HK$25 million – the biggest donation to the university at the time. Cho Kwai Chee Foundation is still listed at the top of the donors’ list on the university’s website under the honorary patron category, with donations of HK$10 million or above.
