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The following is issued on behalf of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority:
The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) today (January 19) pursued 11 claims in the Small Claims Tribunal for some $180,000 on behalf of 75 employees, who were owed MPF contributions by their employers.
At the tribunal's hearing today, one of the defendants, Wong Ka Chi, Yu Cho Hop and Wong Wing Hung trading as Hop Fat Metal Co., did not dispute the amount claimed. The adjudicator ordered it to pay the MPFA the sum of $11,781.12, being mandatory contributions in arrears and surcharges payable.
The other 10 defendants did not appear at today's hearing. They were Best Wise (HK) Limited, Elique Limited, Power Properties Management Limited, Meguro Sushi Limited trading as Meguro Sushi, Trade Speed Industrial Limited, Gainway Cleaning Limited, Free To Billions International Company Limited, Videonline Communications (Asia) Limited, Group Idea Limited trading as Great Shanghai Yap Pan Heung Restaurant and Chong Tai Construction Co. Ltd. In their absence, the adjudicator ordered them to pay the MPFA the sums of $33,121.94, $32,473.58, $27,159.72, $21,391.33, $20,000, $18,258.35, $14,064.78, $2,902.72, $2,546.26 and $1,066.26, being mandatory contributions in arrears and surcharges payable.
The amounts awarded will be reimbursed to the employees' MPF accounts as soon as they are received by the MPFA. The adjudicator further ordered the defendants to pay $200, $176, $110, $126, $325, $126, $120, $176, $156, $150 and $156 respectively as the costs in respect of the claims.
Elique Limited pleaded guilty previously at Kwun Tong Magistracy to 10 counts of failing to make MPF contributions on time and was fined $12,000.
Ends/Monday, January 19, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:01
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