14th October 2026
By Joe Pan
Hong Kong’s anti-graft agency says it has “neutralised a corruption syndicate suspected of offering and accepting bribes, and defrauding government technology subsidies” — and the alleged scheme involved roughly HK$20 million in subsidies from a fund meant to help the city’s small shops and restaurants go digital.
According to a statement released by the ICAC on Oct 12, an investigation had been ongoing following Operation Thunderclap early this year, and six people have now been charged with their names announced. The gifts at the center of the bribery charge included round-trip flights to Thailand and Japan, several branded handbags and a smartphone.
Alice So Nga-lai, 59, then head of entrepreneurship at Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, faces one count of accepting advantages as a public servant under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance. Viola Lam Yuen-lee, 39, sole proprietor of IT firm Find Solution Ai Limited, faces one count of offering advantages to a public servant and, together with her brother Paul Lam Kin-ho, 35, and vendors Daniel Lee, Chan Hoi-tsun and Tsang Wai-ping, aged 31 to 52, one count of conspiracy to defraud.
The ICAC alleges that So accepted gifts from Viola Lam in return for remaining “favourably disposed” to Find Solution’s subsidy applications, curtailing investigations into complaints against the firm and expediting subsidy payouts. The conspiracy charge alleges the group falsely represented that eligible small and medium enterprises had applied for subsidies and paid their share of service costs, inducing Cyberport to approve applications and pay out subsidies. The case involved at least 400 applications totaling approximately HK$20 million in subsidies, according to the ICAC.
No pleas were entered at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Monday. All six defendants were granted bail, with the case adjourned to Jan. 4, 2027.
The program at the center of it
The Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme was earmarked in the 2023 Budget and received HK$500 million in funding approval from the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee on July 14, 2023. Cyberport, as secretariat, launched the program in early 2024, offering one-to-one matching subsidies of up to HK$50,000 per SME to adopt off-the-shelf digital solutions in digital payments, online promotion and customer management. Applications ended in May 2025.
The program initially targeted food and beverage and retail businesses, expanding in December 2024 to tourism and personal services. As of February 2026, funding had been approved for 8,799 local SMEs, with average approved subsidies of about HK$49,000. In July 2026, the government announced plans to allocate an additional HK$300 million for an AI and cybersecurity enhancement, with rollout targeted for the second half of 2026.
Cyberport’s Web3 credentials
Cyberport established the Web3 Hub@Cyberport in 2023 and opened the Web3 Living Lab on Aug. 25, 2023. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po officiated at the lab’s opening during the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum.
The ICAC said Cyberport rendered full assistance during its investigation. The agency will launch a Corruption Prevention Guide on Funding Schemes on Innovation and Technology to help grantors strengthen monitoring of funding schemes.
ICAC’s History and Track Record
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption was established in 1974 under the British colonial government. Operating independently of the civil service, it investigates corruption across both public and private sectors. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the agency holds sole authority over anti-graft operations without political interference.
About the Author:
Joe Pan is an editor and producer at Blockwind News. An early adopter of blockchain technology, he has covered major crypto conferences globally since 2019 and moderated Web3 events across Asia. Joe is part of the founding team of Blockwind News and teaches Asia’s first Master of Journalism course on “Covering Cryptocurrency and Blockchain” at Hong Kong Baptist University.
