Ex-Cyberport department head, 5 others, charged over HK$20 million tech subsidy fraud
Former entrepreneurship head Alice So allegedly took bribes, including plane tickets and luxury gifts, in return for pushing subsidies for AI start-up
A former department head of Hong Kong’s fintech hub Cyberport has been granted bail after being charged with accepting bribes to help an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up secure HK$20 million in funding from a government-subsidised programme.
Alice So Nga-lai, 59, former head of entrepreneurship of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company, was accused of receiving advantages such as flight tickets, one handbag, two tote bags, one coin purse and a mobile phone between October 2023 and December 2025.
On Monday, she appeared at Eastern Court to face a count of a public servant accepting advantages. The charge was filed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The corruption watchdog alleged that Viola Lam Yuen-lee, 39, director and shareholder of Find Solution AI Limited, offered the gifts to So as a reward for giving the company preferential treatment in its application for subsidies under the Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme.
