Former Shun Cheong Holdings financial controller Ou Ka-chi has been convicted of two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

The 42-year-old was found guilty by a Court of First Instance jury for his role in a scam to deceive $13 million from the listed company in relation to bogus consultancy payments of Housing Authority projects. He was acquitted of another charge of attempted theft.

Recorder Ronny Wong adjourned sentencing to August 23, and remanded him in custody.

At the time of the offences, George Kwok was Shun Cheong's managing director. Between October 1999 and June 2000, Ou entered into a conspiracy with Kwok to submit bogus invoices and debit notes from Prelude Assets, a British Virgin Islands company set up by Kwok, in relation to fictitious consultancy services for housing projects in Wong Tai Sin, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tin Shui Wai, Sha Tin and Po Lam.

The false invoices were arranged by Ou, who had them endorsed by either himself or Kwok on behalf of Shun Cheong, and sent to the accounts department for payment. They then signed the company's cheques to make $13 million in payments.

Ou suggested Prelude be used to procure another $580,000 from Shun Cheong to pay a corrupt housing officer who queried technical submissions.

Kwok, 45, and former Prelude director Chui Fu-tsang, 65, admitted their respective roles in this and a similar scam. They will also be sentenced August 23.