A company director and an employer fined for breaching MPFS Ordinance
************************************************************

    A company director and an employer were fined $17,000 at the Kwun Tong Magistracy today (December 4), after being convicted of offences under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance. Meanwhile, the Authority pursued two claims in the Small Claims Tribunal for some $47,000 on behalf of two employees, who were owed MPF contributions by their employer.

     The defendant, Lee Lai Sheung, director of Fine Horse Company Limited, was charged with offences under section 7A(8) and section 44 of the Ordinance. The defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to make MPF contributions for the employee within the prescribed time for the contribution periods between January and March 2006. The defendant was fined $4,000 for the first summons and $2,000 each for the remaining summonses, totalling $8,000.

     Fu Man Chee trading as Wai Wah Printing and Binding Company pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to make MPF contributions for an employee within the prescribed time for the contribution periods between November 2005 and February 2006. The defendant was fined $5,000 for the first summons, $1,500 each for the second and third summonses and $1,000 for the remaining summons, and ordered to pay costs of $400, totalling $9,400.

     At the Tribunal's hearing today, the defendants Eastern Creative Limited trading as ¸»Àö¶¼ÃÀʳÐù and M&J Corporate Services Limited, did not appear.  In their absence, the Adjudicator ordered them to pay the MPFA the sums of $46,764.79 and $787.08, 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 court further awarded payments of $236 and $250 as the costs in respect of the claims.

Ends/Monday, December 4, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:47

NNNN