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Ming Yi and ex-aide found guilty

The y are lik e ly to be se nte nce d ne x t m onth, pe nding am itigation ple a. -m yp
Thu, O ct 08, 2009
m y pape r
[DA Y OF RECKONING (photo above ): Ming Yi (le ft) and R aym ond Ye ung at the district court
ye ste rday whe re the y we re found guilty of various offe nce s.]
By Rachel Chan
FO UNDER and form e r chie f e x e cutive of R e n C i Hospital Shi Ming Yi has be e n found guilty of fraud,
falsifying docum e nts, m isappropriating funds and giving false inform ation to the C om m issione r of
C haritie s.
His form e r pe rsonal assistant, R aym ond Ye ung, has also be e n found guilty of conspiring to falsify a
R e n C i paym e nt vouche r and giving false inform ation to the C om m issione r of C haritie s.
The duo appe are d com pose d whe n District Judge Toh Yung C he ong gave his ve rdict in court
ye ste rday afte rnoon. Ming Yi, 47, and Ye ung, 34, we re brought to court in July last ye ar afte r
inconsiste ncie s in accounts be longing to R e n C i and Mandala Buddhist & C ultural C e ntre - an
affliate d busine ss that sold Buddhist arte facts - e m e rge d in late 2007.
R e n C i's book s had re corde d a paym e nt of $50,000 to Mandala in May 2004, but this had not be e n
re fle cte d in Mandala's accounts.
Mandala was m anage d by Ye ung from 2001 to 2004. Inve stigations late r showe d that Ming Yi, who
signe d the che que and a fraudule nt paym e nt vouche r for the $50,000, had m e ant the m one y to be
for Ye ung's pe rsonal use .
Late r, Ming Yi lie d to the C om m issione r of C haritie s that Mandala had use d it to purchase wood.
In a 61-page asse ssm e nt of the e vide nce produce d by both side s, Judge Toh wrote that he de cide d
not to "attach m uch we ight to Ming Yi's contributions towards R e n C i in de te rm ining whe the r he had
com m itte d the offe nce s".
The re was e vide nce to dire ctly conne ct Ming Yi and Ye ung to the charge s, he wrote .
"The prose cution, in adducing the e vide nce of Ming Yi's othe r transactions with R e n C i and his
purchase s, m ade Ming Yi's e vide nce of his "good characte r" and contributions to R e n C i le ss
com pe lling than it originally se e m e d," he adde d.
The prose cution re ve ale d in e arlie r court proce e dings that Ming Yi had purchase d prope rty, a horse ,
a lux ury car, and a golf-club m e m be rship in Australia ove r the ye ars.
He had also tak e n a $253,000 loan from R e n C i in 1997 to purchase share s unde r his nam e . The
m one y was not re paid until auditors appointe d by the C om m issione r of C haritie s look e d into R e n
C i's affairs.
Ye ste rday, the galle ry was pack e d with m e m be rs of the public k e e n on the outcom e of the case .
Ask e d to com m e nt on the de gre e of public inte re st, Ming Yi sm ile d and said: "Thank s to e ve ryone
who showe d conce rn. Thank you ve ry m uch."
The pair are lik e ly to be se nte nce d ne x t m onth, whe n the ir de fe nce lawye r, Se nior C ounse l Andre
Ye ap, e nte rs a m itigation ple a.
Ask e d what he would be doing in the m e antim e ,Ming Yi re plie d: "Nothing. I will go on with m y daily
life ."

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