Hong Kong police have arrested four directors of a drug rehabilitation charity for suspected fraud involving tens of millions of dollars, and are seeking three others – now based overseas -including the principal of the boarding school the charity runs.
Police told reporters on Thursday the investigation involved the NGO Christian Zheng Sheng Association and its rehabilitation school, Christian Zheng Sheng College. The Lantau Island school, which does not receive government subsidies as a private institution, relies on donations.
Acting Superintendent Abraham Yu said that between October and December 2020, the principal – whom he did not identify – ran a fundraising campaign. The principal claimed that donations to the school had reached a record low that year and urged people to donate, Yu said.
Police investigations found that of the HK$45 million the campaign raised in 2020, the school received less than ten per cent. Meanwhile, there were over 300 transactions from the association’s bank accounts involving transfers to the NGO’s directors and the principal.
In 2022 and 2023, there were 13 overseas transactions from the association’s bank accounts totalling more than HK$50 million, Yu added.
Some of the charity’s directors had left Hong Kong, but around six months before the fundraising campaign, they began “organising their personal assets” and selling their property locally.
Police arrested four directors aged between 34 and 77 on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, and issued arrest warrants for three others, including the principal.
‘Hope and love’
Founded in 1998, Christian Zheng Sheng College is a remote juvenile delinquency rehabilitation school – accessible only by boat – in the east of Lantau Island. The school accepts teenagers with troubled pasts, some of whom have battled drug addiction and dealt with emotional problems.
The school’s founder and principal is Alman Chan, who is recognised in Hong Kong for his work with marginalised youth. He is also a regular speaker at schools and organisations, and has been the recipient of awards including honorary fellowships at Lingnan University and Education University in 2014 and 2016.
Chan, who was not named during the police media briefing, is now based in the UK, according to his Facebook page. He last posted a link to the fundraising campaign on Tuesday.
The link appeared to first have been shared in October 2020, when Chan wrote in a Facebook post that the school’s donations reached a record low that year amid Covid-19 and the declining economy.
“Christian Zheng Sheng College’s 60-odd students and teachers need everybody’s support… whether you make a monthly or one-off donation, it will bring hope and love to the struggling students and support the school in its long-term planning,” the post read.
The posts on Tuesday and in October 2020 were still live as of Thursday evening, and the donation page was also accessible.
Police said the school – which currently has 17 students – would continue its operations, and that the Education Bureau, the Social Welfare Department and the Security Bureau’s Narcotics Division would ensure the students were being taken care of.
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