Hong Kong civil servant ordered to do 160 hours of community service for attending dance classes while taking sick leave
- Senior executive officer Fu San, 41, had applied for time off to visit a Chinese medical clinic for treatment
- Defence lawyer says Fu attended the dance lessons to alleviate work-related stress
A Hong Kong civil servant was on Monday ordered to complete 160 hours of community service for attending dance lessons during office hours under the guise of medical leave.
Kowloon City Court heard acting senior executive officer Fu San, 41, applied for time off to visit a Chinese medicine clinic for consultation and treatment on three occasions between 2018 and 2020, while she was posted to the Wong Tai Sin District Office of the Home Affairs Department.
But instead of going to the clinic, Fu was found to have misled the department as she attended dance lessons during her leave.
She only went to the doctor in the evening on two occasions.
The case arose from a corruption complaint referred by the department.
Earlier this month, Fu pleaded guilty to three counts of an agent using a document with intent to deceive her principal, and denied three similar counts, which were left on court file, meaning they cannot be pursued without the leave of this court or the Court of Appeal.
