Hong Kong social worker who mounted judicial challenge charged with welfare fraud
Eddie Tse accused of defrauding city of HK$16,000 after failing to declare income and assets that exceeded limit for old age living allowance
A Hong Kong social worker who earlier launched a judicial challenge against the government’s approval of an environmental study of the San Tin Technopole project has been charged with defrauding social welfare authorities to obtain more than HK$16,000 (US$2,049) in old age allowance.
Eddie Tse Sai-kit, 67, was accused of failing to declare that his income and net assets had exceeded the authorities’ limit for making an application for old age living allowance. He allegedly obtained monthly aid of HK$4,195 four times from the Social Welfare Department between last June and January this year.
Tse last year sought to overturn the decision of authorities to approve an environmental impact report on San Tin Technopole, saying it breached the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance and lacked public consultation.
But he withdrew the legal challenge earlier this year, saying he had become a target of “widespread harassment and intimidation”, with his family suffering from mail threats and online doxxing.