Compiled by BEH YUEN HUI, NAN HIDAYAT NAN AZMIE and R. ARAVINTHAN
THIRTEEN people have been sentenced to jail for bribing administrative staff to secure admission for their children into an international kindergarten in Hong Kong, Sin Chew Daily reported.
The District Court handed down sentences ranging from eight to 11 months’ imprisonment, while a middleman who facilitated placements for his business partner’s children received 14 months’ jail.
According to a statement from the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the case concerns applications submitted to ESF Wu Kai Sha International Kindergarten for the 2019-2022 academic years.
The school’s former administrative officer, Jenny Lam, abused her position by soliciting bribes from parents seeking priority admission for their children, who were placed at the bottom of the waiting list.
The parents, aged between 35 and 48, paid between HK$20,000 and HK$200,000 (RM12,000 to RM120,000). The total amount involved in the scheme reached HK$1.1mil (RM566,125).
> Mainland Chinese actor Song Ningfeng has come under public scrutiny, according to major Chinese dailies, after allegations that he had cheated on his wife.
He was also accused of bringing his daughter to a hotel where he had an intimate session with his girlfriend.
In a statement, the 45-year-old actor apologised and announced an indefinite suspension of his acting career to focus on resolving his marital issues.
“This is something I will never forgive myself for in my lifetime,” he said.
Song married artiste manager Zhang Wanting after dating for only a month. This is his second marriage; he was previously married to actress Qi Xi.
Song became well-known for portraying the image of a devoted husband on the reality show See You Again Season 2, which follows three couples, either divorced or facing marital crises, on a journey to determine whether their relationships can be repaired or if they should part ways.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
