Ex-Deloitte manager jailed over HK$1.2 million laptop theft
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A former Deloitte information technology manager has been sentenced to 22 months in jail after pleading guilty to stealing 423 laptops worth HK$1.2 million from the accounting firm’s Hong Kong office. The District Court heard that Ho Man-kit sold the Lenovo computers to an electronics recycler between September 2021 and February 2023 to support a stock trading addiction, and later lost all of the money through unsuccessful trades.
Key Points
- Deputy Judge Minnie Wat Lai-man sentenced Ho Man-kit, 40, on Friday after his earlier guilty plea to one count of theft.
- The stolen laptops were taken from Deloitte’s office at Cityplaza in Quarry Bay over about 17 months, from September 2021 to February 2023.
- The case surfaced after an IT engineer found a shortfall of 399 laptops on February 13, 2023, prompting a review of live surveillance footage.
- Footage showed Ho, who was supposed to be on leave, trying to sell a box of 15 laptops to a recycler at about 7.30pm that day.
- Ho confessed to his supervisor two days later, surrendered to police that afternoon, and officers later recovered 24 more Deloitte laptops in Mong Kok.
Why It Matters
The sentence underscores how seriously Hong Kong courts treat long-running workplace theft involving abuse of trust, especially when an employee has access to company assets over an extended period. The case also shows how internal stock checks, surveillance review and quick intervention by staff can stop further losses and help recover property.