Courts | Ho Chio Meng Lai Kin Ian called to testify again

The trial of former Prosecutor-General Ho Chio Meng continued yesterday at the Court of Final Appeal. Former Chief of the Prosecutor General of the Public Prosecutions Office, Lai Kin Ian, was present to testify. Lai had previously testified last January.

The court continued to process matters involving Wang Xian Di, a mainland-
born woman who was hired to work at the Office of the Prosecutor-General. She was reportedly paid by the MP despite never having completed any work. Wang was hired for two terms, separated by a gap of three to four years.

Lai remarked that Wang’s second term of employment should have been granted by the Chief Executive.  He added that the Personnel and Finance Department at the Office of the Prosecutor-General informed Ho that hiring non-local workers required approval by the CE, a rule with which Ho agreed.

The office then applied for a quota for a non-local worker, which was approved. As for whether the quota had been approved by the CE, Lai said if the human resources office issued the approval, the CE should already have known about it.

Wang’s two terms of employment were also endorsed by Ho Chio Meng, who stated that Wang’s English was good and she had connections with the mainland.

When Wang was hired for the second time, the salary information on her recruitment form – which Ho filled out by hand – remained empty.

For her first term of employment, her salary was fixed at a level, between that of an office head and that of a department head.

Lai said that Wang might have been an intern at the time.  While Lai was testifying, Ho took notes and gave the thumbs up once in a while.