Hong Kong ex-regulator manager charged over unauthorised access to confidential files

Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog has charged a former manager at a financial regulator with unauthorised access to its internal computer system to view confidential case files and licensee data.Tong Ka-lei, 39, who previously worked in the enforcement division of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), faces 12 counts of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain for herself or another, in breach of the Crimes Ordinance.She is scheduled to appear at Eastern Court on Monday.The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said on Sunday that between December 2020 and December 2024, Tong allegedly carried out 12 unauthorised searches on the regulator’s internal systems.The searches targeted 10 people and commercial entities, the agency said.At the time of the alleged offences, Tong was assigned to the SFC’s corporate misconduct team, where her core duties involved investigating suspected fraud among Hong Kong-listed companies.