Former HKEX vice president and mother charged over computer access
Hong Kong’s ICAC has charged a former vice president of HKEX and his mother with dishonestly accessing the exchange’s internal system to obtain confidential company data, allegedly yielding over HK$500,000 in share-trading profits.
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Wednesday charged a former vice president of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) with allegedly obtaining dishonest access to the exchange’s internal information system, which contained confidential data of listed companies. His mother was also charged in connection with the case.
Geoffrey Tong Po-hang, 39, a former vice president of HKEX, and his mother Leung Yiu-chun, 68, jointly face one count of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain for himself or another between February 2018 and April 2023, according to the ICAC. The case is due to be mentioned at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday afternoon.
The ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint referred by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC). Enquiries by the anti-graft body revealed that Tong allegedly accessed confidential information of listed companies that was unrelated to his duties on multiple occasions. Subsequently, the investment account of his mother, Leung, engaged in share transactions of the relevant listed companies, yielding profits exceeding HK$500,000.
As the corruption investigation is ongoing, the ICAC said it would not rule out further prosecution. The ICAC and the SFC have been working closely on the case, while HKEX has been rendering full assistance.