A former department head at Hong Kong’s fintech hub Cyberport has been granted bail after being charged with accepting bribes in connection with government subsidies awarded to an artificial intelligence start-up. Alice So Nga-lai, 59, who previously led the entrepreneurship division at the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company, faces allegations of receiving gifts including round-trip flight tickets, handbags, tote bags, a coin purse, and a mobile phone between October 2023 and December 2025. The charges stem from accusations that these advantages were offered in exchange for helping the company secure HK$20 million in government funding.
So appeared Monday at the Eastern Court to face a public servant accepting advantages charge, filed by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). The investigation, part of an operation called “Thunderclap” launched earlier this year, also involves Viola Lam Yuen-lee, 39, who is director and shareholder of Find Solution AI Limited. Lam is accused of providing the gifts to So as a reward for giving preferential treatment to her company’s application for subsidies under the Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme.
According to the ICAC, So used her position to fast-track subsidy payments to Find Solution AI and impede inquiries into complaints filed by other applicants against the company. Cyberport, which acted as the secretariat for the subsidy scheme, was responsible for processing application documents and disbursing funds under a government initiative launched in January 2024. The programme allocated HK$500 million to support local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the IT sector, offering to cover half the cost of digital solutions with subsidies capped at HK$50,000 per applicant.
In addition to So and Viola Lam, three other individuals—Daniel Lee, 40; Chan Ho-tsun, 31; and Tsang Waiping, 52—have been charged with conspiracy to defraud. The ICAC alleges these vendors falsely claimed to have engaged Find Solution AI’s services and made payments to secure subsidy approvals. Paul Lam Kin-ho, 35, who serves as the secretary of Find Solution AI, is also charged in connection with the alleged fraud.
The ICAC’s press release noted that the investigation uncovered approximately 400 fraudulent applications amounting to about HK$20 million in total government subsidies. None of the six defendants were required to enter pleas at Monday’s hearing as the prosecution requested an adjournment to continue its probe.
Magistrate Edward Wong Ching-yu granted bail to all defendants with amounts ranging from HK$20,000 to HK$100,000 and imposed conditions including restrictions on leaving Hong Kong. The next court hearing is scheduled for January 4, 2026.