Hong Kong International School ESF Educational Services (English Schools Foundation) Bribery Case: Hong Kong Court Sentenced 13 Parents & 1 Then-Employee to Jail (Up to 14 Months) for Offering Total $140,000 (HKD 1.1 Million) Bribes Ranging from $2,600 to $26,000 (HKD 20,000 to HKD 200,000) Each to Kindergarten Employee for Priority Admissions of 12 Children to K1 Classes
2nd April 2026 | Hong Kong
Hong Kong international school ESF Educational Services (English Schools Foundation) bribery case – A Hong Kong court has sentenced 13 parents & then-employee to jail (Up to 14 months) for offering total $140,000 (HKD 1.1 million) of bribes ranging from $2,600 to $26,000 (HKD 20,000 to HKD 200,000) each to a kindergarten employee for priority admissions of 12 children to K1 classes. ICAC (24/2/26): “Thirteen parents and a middleman charged by the ICAC were today (February 24) convicted after trial at the District Court of offering around $1.1 million in bribes to a then administrator of an international kindergarten for assisting in a priority admission of 12 children to its K1 classes. The kindergarten employee earlier admitted having accepted bribes. The 13 parents of 11 families and a business partner of another parent were found guilty of a total of 13 charges, namely 12 counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept an advantage, and one count of inciting an agent to solicit an advantage, contrary to section 9(1)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, section 159A of the Crimes Ordinance and the Common Law. The defendants, aged between 35 and 48, were Cora Lam Man-hei and her husband Cheung Ka-ming; Marissa Choy Wai-yin and her partner Lee Chun-long; nine mothers – Julia Wong Yi-ting (formerly known as Julia Wong Wing-man), Vida Lau Ying-kwan (formerly known as Vida Lau Wai-tak), Ma Yin-man, Li Jiebing, Tsui Wai-him, Kong Ching-men, Michelle Wong Mei-suet, Mak Wai-ki and Zhu Shuangye; and merchant Siu Yu-pong. Deputy Judge Ms Amy Chan Wai-mun remanded the 14 defendants in custody of the Correctional Services Department and adjourned the case to March 31 for sentence. Co-defendant Fatima Rumjahn, 56, then administrator of ESF International Kindergarten (Wu Kai Sha) (WKSK), pleaded guilty to nine charges in October 2024, namely five counts of conspiracy for an agent to accept an advantage and four counts of agent accepting an advantage. The above offences were uncovered in an ICAC investigation stemmed from a corruption complaint. The present case involved K1 admission applications for the three school years between 2019 and 2022 of WKSK, which accepted admission applications in each September. Between September 2018 and August 2021, Rumjahn was responsible for handling the relevant applications. The court heard that the 13 parents and a businessman, Siu, had offered bribes totalling about $1.1 million, each ranging from $20,000 to $200,000, to Rumjahn in exchange for offering K1 placements at WKSK to 12 children, namely children of the 11 families concerned and a daughter of Siu’s business partner. The court also heard that after one of the parents, Kong, obtained a placement for her child by corrupt means, she contacted Rumjahn and incited the latter to accept a bribe from her friend, Choy, for assisting Choy’s child in obtaining a K1 placement. The ICAC investigation revealed that the 12 children had passed the K1 admission interviews and were originally placed at the bottom of the admission waiting list. However, they were given priority in the admission and were enrolled in the programme after the defendants paid bribes. ESF Educational Services Limited rendered full assistance to the ICAC during its investigation into the case. A culture of integrity is an important foundation of Hong Kong’s education. The ICAC reminds parents that when making school admission applications for their children, they should never offer bribes to staff members in exchange for school placements. If parents are asked to pay bribes, they should refuse and report to the ICAC immediately. The ICAC has provided corruption prevention advice tailored to kindergartens’ admission procedures and organised dedicated seminars regularly to further reinforce their capability in upholding integrity. Kindergartens should refer to the Corruption Prevention Toolkit on Kindergartens’ Operations issued by the ICAC to strengthen their corruption prevention safeguards and enhance the transparency of their student admission processes. The prosecution was today represented by prosecuting counsel Wong Hay-yiu and Warren Suen, assisted by ICAC officer Zacky Chan.” In 2026 April, Hong Kong international educational group English Schools Foundation with $634 million (HKD 4.97 billion) assets was reported to be selecting external investment advisor for endowment with reported $75 million (HKD 588 million) AUM in FY2023/2024. Endowment – The Group continues to find alternative solutions to generate additional income for financing initiatives that will enhance the learning experience of our students. The ESF Endowment includes the residential portfolio held by ESF and the investments held in ESFI. The fair value of the investments held in ESFI increased by 13.4% to HK$587.7m (2023: HK$518.2m) under a volatile global investment market. Asset performance monitoring and strategic asset allocation continue to be a focus of the Finance Committee & Investment Committee.
” Hong Kong International School ESF Educational Services (English Schools Foundation) Bribery Case: Hong Kong Court Sentenced 13 Parents & 1 Then-Employee to Jail (Up to 14 Months) for Offering Total $140,000 (HKD 1.1 Million) Bribes Ranging from $2,600 to $26,000 (HKD 20,000 to HKD 200,000) Each to Kindergarten Employee for Priority Admissions of 12 Children to K1 Classes “
![](https://www.caproasia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Air-Charter-Service-728x90-1.png")
Hong Kong International Educational Group English Schools Foundation with $634 Million (HKD 4.97 Billion) Assets Selecting External Investment Advisor for $75 Million (HKD 588 Million) Endowment
1st April 2026 – Hong Kong international educational group English Schools Foundation with $634 million (HKD 4.97 billion) assets is reported to be selecting external investment advisor for endowment with reported $75 million (HKD 588 million) AUM in FY2023/2024. Endowment – The Group continues to find alternative solutions to generate additional income for financing initiatives that will enhance the learning experience of our students. The ESF Endowment includes the residential portfolio held by ESF and the investments held in ESFI. The fair value of the investments held in ESFI increased by 13.4% to HK$587.7m (2023: HK$518.2m) under a volatile global investment market. Asset performance monitoring and strategic asset allocation continue to be a focus of the Finance Committee & Investment Committee.
Caproasia Users
- Manage $20 million to $30 billion of assets
- Invest $3 million to $300 million
- Advise institutions, billionaires, UHNWs & HNWs
Caproasia Platforms | 11,000 Investors & Advisors
- Caproasia.com
- Caproasia Access
- Caproasia Events
- The Financial Centre | Find Services
- Membership
- Family Office Circle
- Professional Investor Circle
- Investor Relations Network
Monthly Roundtable & Networking
Family Office Programs
The 2026 Investment Day
- March - Hong Kong
- March - Singapore
- April - Hong Kong
- April - Singapore
- July - Hong Kong
- July - Singapore
- Sept- Hong Kong
- Sept - Singapore
- Oct- Hong Kong
- Nov - Singapore
- Visit: The Investment Day | Register: Click here
Caproasia Summits
- The Institutional Investor Summit
- The Investment / Alternatives Summit
- The Private Wealth Summit
- The Family Office Summit
- The CEO & Entrepreneur Summit
- The Capital Markets Summit
- The ESG / Sustainable Investment Summit
