Hong Kong hostel manager charged by ICAC over HK$900,000 theft
Former Caritas-Hong Kong employee allegedly altered booking records and stole outstanding guest payments
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has charged a hostel manager with stealing claiming he took more than HK$900,000 (US$114,651) from his employer by altering booking records and making false claims about outstanding payments.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Wednesday that Li Kei-tat, 39, formerly an assistant lodge manager at Caritas-Hong Kong, faced eight charges: one count of an agent using a document with intent to deceive his principal; six counts of theft; and one count of fraud.
The watchdog said Li was responsible for front desk operations at Caritas Oswald Cheung International House in Aberdeen, which included collecting payments and inputting booking information into the computer system between July 2021 and June 2023.
In early 2023, Caritas discovered unsettled guest payments amounting to more than HK$1.6 million, prompting an internal investigation. Li was subsequently asked to submit an incident report.
One of the charges against Li alleges that he submitted a false statement in this report during the internal investigation. He claimed his mobile phone number belonged to a representative of an organisation that owed Caritas more than HK$1.6 million.
The ICAC asserts that Li stole six separate payments from Caritas, totalling about HK$880,000, leading to the theft charges.