5th June 2023 – (Hong Kong) The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has recently brought charges against five individuals for their involvement in a fraudulent insurance claims scheme, which has resulted in HK$37.5 million in payouts. The ICAC has accused these individuals of arranging for cancer patients to pose as policyholders and undergo medical examinations at healthcare facilities in order to obtain cancer certificates, which were then used to claim payouts for critical illness insurance policies.
According to ICAC investigations, the first case involved three defendants who were charged earlier with conspiracy to defraud. They included a former insurance agent, a healthcare facility employee, and a cancer patient, all of whom were accused of conspiring to defraud a critical illness insurer by submitting fraudulent claims. The ICAC alleges that the insurance agent and the healthcare employee arranged for the cancer patient to pose as a policyholder and undergo medical examinations at the healthcare facility to obtain a cancer certificate, which was then used to claim payouts from the insurer.
In a separate case, the ICAC has charged two additional defendants, a policyholder and her sister, with conspiracy to defraud. The ICAC alleges that the policyholder arranged for her sister to undergo medical examinations at a healthcare facility and obtain a cancer certificate, which was then used to claim payouts from the insurer. The ICAC also alleges that the policyholder submitted fraudulent claims for herself, using the same cancer certificate.
The two new defendants were brought before the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today, but they did not enter a plea. The magistrate adjourned the case until 17th July, 2023, and ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody at a correctional facility.