Taipan chairman to face trial over wage summonses
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago6 MIN
Summary
Taipan Bakery and Cake Shop, the chain that later shut all outlets, is at the centre of a labour prosecution against its chairman, Liu Chi-keung (廖志強), who has already been made bankrupt. He has pleaded not guilty to 12 summonses alleging failures to pay wages, wages and pay in lieu of notice after termination, and sums ordered by the Labour Tribunal. At a pre-trial review in Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on September 4, the defence sought a second pre-trial review to deal with documents, but the prosecution objected and the court fixed the case for trial on November 10. The trial is expected to last two days, with three civilian witnesses and most of the remaining evidence in documentary form.
Key Points
- Acting Principal Magistrate Zhuang Jingmin agreed with the prosecution that the case had already been adjourned for a long time and that a trial date should now be set
- Liu did not attend court on September 4 and was represented by a lawyer, after the prosecution said he had only secured legal representation the previous day.
- The 12 summonses comprise six counts of failing to pay wages when due, three counts over wages and pay in lieu of notice after termination, and three counts tied to unpaid tribunal-ordered sums.
- The prosecution alleges that, on November 26, 2025 in Wan Chai, as a director of Yifeng Management Services Ltd, the company failed to pay three employees wages for April to June 2025 and pay in lieu of notice totalling HK$1,015,261.50.
- A further three summonses allege the company, with Liu’s consent, connivance or neglect as director, failed to comply with Labour Tribunal orders dated July 29 and July 30, 2025 to pay the same three employees HK$1,302,586.12 in total
Why It Matters
The case matters to Hong Kong workers because it tests how wage-payment and Labour Tribunal enforcement provisions are pursued when a company has already collapsed and its chairman has been declared bankrupt. For former employees, the scheduled trial means the dispute is moving from procedural delays toward a substantive hearing on whether criminal liability arose from the alleged non-payment.