Four former and current students’ union members at Lingnan University in Hong Kong have been arrested for allegedly stealing HK$1.3 million from their organisation’s funds for personal expenses, according to police.
Police Chief Inspector Au Yeung Tak said on Thursday that the four suspects – three men and one woman, aged 21 to 24 – were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of theft and conspiracy to steal.
“Between April 2024 and April 2025, two former members [of the students’ union] issued four cheques worth HK$1.3 million in total. A HK$400,000 cheque was deposited into the account of a local student organisation, and the other three cheques, worth HK$900,000, were deposited into the personal accounts of two current union members,” Au Yeung told reporters in Cantonese.
Police officers examined the transactions of the two current members and found that part of the union funds was used to repay their personal credit card debts, Au Yeung said.
The debts “involved their personal expenses for entertainment and food, as well as flight tickets and accommodation,” he said.
The pair also used the student funds to repay personal loans and deposited the money into investment accounts under their names, he added.
The force’s New Territories North crime unit conducted an investigation after receiving a report alleging financial chaos and embezzlement at the students’ union in Lingnan University, Au Yeung said.
Officers searched the homes of the four suspects and entered Lingnan University on Thursday for investigation, during which they seized the four cheque books involved in the case, he said.
The chief inspector added that the suspects were being detained for further investigation.
The Lingnan University Students’ Union president, Hong Cheuk-in, declined to comment on the case when contacted by HKFP on Thursday.
HKFP has also reached out to Lingnan University for comment.
HK01 reported in November that a self-proclaimed Lingnan University student had accused members of the students’ union of embezzlement in a mass email to the school.
The vice president of the students’ union, Isaac Lai, denied the accusation at that time.
Au Yeung said the alleged theft was a serious breach of trust between the student leaders and their fellow students, adding that it was a serious crime.
He did not rule out the possibility of further arrests.
