13 parents jailed over bribery scheme for ESF Wu Kai Sha kindergarten places
發佈日期: 2026-03-31 20:06
TVB News
In the case involving the bribery of staff at an ESF kindergarten to secure priority admission, 13 parents have been sentenced to between eight and 11 months behind bars, while a middleman received a 14-month prison term.
ESF applications typically receive priority status if the children's parents are staff members or alumni or they have siblings who are already students.
But the children involved in the cases did not fit the criteria with some being ranked as far back as 212th on the waiting list.
The judge says their conduct deprived children from law-abiding families of fair enrolment opportunities.
The offences took place between 2018 and 2021 when Fatima Rumjahn, a former administrator at ESF Wu Kai Sha International Kindergarten accepted bribes from 13 parents and an intermediary to arrange priority admission for 12 children.
Ranging from 20,000 dollars to 200,000 dollars, the bribes totalled about 1.1 million dollars.
The administrator earlier admitted to multiple bribery charges and turned prosecution witness.
Rumjahn says some bribes were delivered through covert and roundabout means.
In one instance, a parent met the administrator in a park toilet cubicle to hand over 100,000 dollars.
Some parents asked her to pose as a takeaway customer at McDonald's, allowing her to collect a paper bag containing cash.
In mitigation, some defendants say their actions were motivated by their children's interests rather than personal gain and urged the court to consider community service
or suspended sentence.
Deputy Judge Amy Chan rejected the pleas, stressing that their conduct deprived children from law-abiding families of fair admission opportunities.
In sentencing, the judge says the court had taken into account factors that the defendants are first-time offenders, as well as their prior good character and the impact on their families.
However she stresses the need to consider the broader harm to society, noting that school places in Hong Kong are limited, and that bribery to jump the queue was clearly unjust and eroded the city's long-standing reputation for integrity.
She adds that the severity of the offence was not determined by the amount of money involved, as all the defendants had used corrupt means to secure admission -- seriously undermining fairness in the system.
Therefore, sentences, she says, must carry strong deterrence.
As for the former administrator Rumjahn who turned prosecution witness, she is due to be sentenced on April 20th.
