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The following is issued on behalf of the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority:
An employer was fined a total of $15,000 at the Kwun Tong Magistracy today (April 19) after being convicted of offences under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (the Ordinance).
Young Hai Thao, a partner of 168 Express (BR no.: 37122629), was charged with an offence under section 7(1) of the Ordinance. The defendant pleaded guilty to a count of failing to enrol an employee in an MPF scheme as required by the Ordinance and was fined $6,000 for the summons.
Young Hai Thao was also charged with an offence under section 7AA(7) of the Ordinance. The defendant pleaded guilty to six counts of failing to make MPF contributions to the MPFA for an employee who was not member of a registered scheme within the prescribed time for the contribution periods from November 2009 to April 2010. The defendant was fined $1,500 for each summons, totalling $9,000.
Separately, the MPFA successfully pursued two claims in the Small Claims Tribunal for about $23,000 for 11 employees who were owed MPF contributions by their employers.
At the Tribunal's hearings today, the defendants, Fortune World International Limited and Unison Enterprises Limited, did not appear. In their absence, the Adjudicator ordered them to pay the MPFA the sums of $14,067.92 and $8,865.29 respectively, 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 Tribunal further ordered the defendants to pay $106 and $81 as the costs of the claims.
Ends/Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:44
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