The Eastern Magistrates’ Courts has sentenced Mr Lin Tai Fung and his brother-in-law, Mr Or Chun Nin, to 240 hours and 160 hours of community service respectively following their conviction in a criminal prosecution brought by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) (Notes 1 & 2).
Lin and Or had pleaded guilty to the offences of conspiracy to commit false trading in the shares of Pa Shun International Holdings Limited (Pa Shun) from 9 April 2017 to 7 March 2018. Lin had also pleaded guilty to the offence of failing to notify The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited about changes in his interest in Pa Shun shares on eight occasions between 2 June 2017 and 14 March 2018.
In delivering the sentence, Deputy Magistrate Mr Chu Chung Keung stressed that the offences committed by Lin and Or were serious, and the Court had considered sentencing the defendants to terms of imprisonment. However, after taking into account all the mitigating factors, the probation officer’s suitability reports and the defendants’ guilty pleas, the Court decided to impose community service orders on them.
The Court also ordered Lin and Or to pay the investigation costs to the SFC.
The SFC’s Executive Director of Enforcement, Mr Christopher Wilson, said: “A Community Service Order is not a lenient sentencing option. It mandates the offenders to perform unpaid work as a means of addressing their misconduct. The sentences imposed in this case highlight the Court's firm stance against market manipulation offences.”
Notes:
- Please refer to SFC’s press releases dated 23 January 2025, 20 March 2025, 15 May 2025 and 11 June 2025.
- The community service order was made under section 4(1) of Community Service Orders Ordinance, which stipulates the maximum number of hours of community service hours to be imposed by the court is 240 hours.
