Hong Kong graft-buster arrests 20 people for allegedly faking documents for early MPF withdrawal, stoking fears among some migrants in UK

ICAC says insurance agent was mastermind of syndicate suspected of taking bribes to help residents claim pension by falsely saying they had moved to mainland China

According to source, some migrants from Hong Kong who had relocated to Britain made early MPF withdrawal by claiming they were moving over border

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The ICAC has said its investigation is still under way and it will decide whether to pursue prosecution after seeking legal advice. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 11:08pm, 13 Oct 2023Updated: 12:41pm, 14 Oct 2023

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency has arrested 20 people including an insurance agent and 10 pension scheme members for allegedly withdrawing funds early by using forged documents to claim they were leaving the city permanently.

A source told the Post on Friday the arrests had surprised some Hong Kong emigrants in the United Kingdom, who said they had followed the advice of agents and made similar claims to withdraw money from their Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) accounts and finance their move.

Under the current policy, MPF scheme members can only withdraw their money when they are 65, unless they can demonstrate they have permanently left Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said the arrested insurance agent was the mastermind of a syndicate suspected of taking bribes to help MPF members withdraw their pension early by fabricating evidence of employment and residence in mainland China.

“They falsely represented to the MPF trustee that the MPF scheme members concerned would permanently leave Hong Kong to reside in the mainland,” an agency spokesman said. “The insurance agent had allegedly accepted bribe payments ranging from several thousand dollars to several tens of thousands of dollars from each applicant.”

The spokesman said 20 people, including the agent, who was also an MPF intermediary, and 10 MPF members had been arrested for allegedly violating the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. They have been released on bail.

During the operation, ICAC officers armed with court warrants searched various premises, including residences and offices of the suspects.