《南华早报》获悉，香港商人潘焯鸿与其妻子在新冠疫情期间，涉嫌诈骗政府一项面向企业的融资计划达600万港元，现已被起诉。
Hong Kong businessman Jason Poon Chuk-hung and his wife have been charged with defrauding a government financing scheme for businesses out of HK$6 million during the Covid-19 pandemic, the South China Morning Post has learned.
消息人士周五透露，56岁的建筑商人潘焯鸿与其54岁的妻子目前均获保释，他们被控串谋诈骗及洗黑钱罪，将于周一在九龙城裁判法院出庭应讯。
A source said on Friday that construction businessman Poon, 56, and his 54-year-old wife, both out on bail, had been charged with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering and would appear at Kowloon Court on Monday.
潘焯鸿是口罩制造商乐キ生化（Lockill Biochemical）的董事。他和妻子朱瑞芳以及另外四名公司员工于3月被捕。
Poon, director of mask manufacturer Lockill Biochemical, his wife Chu Shui-fong and four company employees were arrested in March.
《南华早报》此前报道称，警方情报显示，一家外科口罩制造商涉嫌在疫情期间通过“中小企业融资担保计划”，诈骗汇丰银行600万港元。
The SCMP previously reported that police intelligence suggested a surgical mask manufacturer had allegedly defrauded HSBC out of HK$6 million via the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme during the pandemic.
潘焯鸿、其妻子及四名员工被指控在2021年4月至6月期间，提交虚假的销售记录和“夸大”的薪酬记录，以符合该计划的申请要求。
Poon, his wife and four employees have been accused of submitting fake sales records and “augmented” salary records between April and June 2021 to meet application requirements for the scheme.
消息人士称，他涉嫌将大部分贷款转入自己和妻子的个人银行账户，用于个人开支以及偿还欠下财务公司的债务。
He allegedly transferred most of the loan into his and his wife’s personal bank accounts, using the money for personal expenses and repaying debts owed to finance companies, the source said.
该计划于2011年推出，但在2020-21年度的政府财政预算案中进行了扩展，提供特别的100%贷款担保，以帮助企业缓解疫情期间因薪酬和租金义务而产生的现金流问题。这些贷款由政府提供全额担保，并享有特惠低利率。
The scheme was launched in 2011, but was extended to provide a special 100 per cent loan guarantee as part of the 2020-21 government budget to help ease businesses’ cash-flow problems arising from wage and rental obligations during the pandemic. The loans were fully guaranteed by the government at a concessionary low-interest rate. Poon rose to public prominence in 2018 for exposing the shoddy work at the Hung Hom MTR station, part of the Sha Tin-Central link project.
潘焯鸿于2018年因揭露沙中线红磡站扩建工程的偷工减料丑闻而为人熟知。他的爆料促使政府成立独立调查委员会对该丑闻进行调查。
His whistle-blowing account prompted the government to establish an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the scandal.
这名商人后来以独立候选人身份参加了2021年立法会选举，在港岛东选区四名候选人中得票末位。
The businessman later ran as an independent candidate in the 2021 Legislative Council election. He finished last among four candidates in the Hong Kong East constituency.