A Home Affairs Bureau executive officer has been jailed three years by the District Court for misappropriating $1.5 million in Government funds.

Michael Man, 43, Executive Officer I, was found guilty of five counts of theft. In sentencing today, Deputy Judge Ernest Lin said an immediate custodial sentence must be imposed due to the serious breach of trust.

In 2004 the bureau organised five youth exchange programmes, of which the defendant was the officer-in-charge. To ensure their smooth running, the bureau released five imprest funds, totalling $1.5 million, to the defendant's bank account between June and November 2004 for settlement of expenses incurred. He transferred part of the fund to another bank account and to his Jockey Club telebet account for gambling on horse racing and soccer matches.

After the completion of the five programmes, the defendant failed to submit any statement of account to the bureau as required, and applied for deferrals claiming he was awaiting accounting documents from the service providers concerned.

Up to February 14 last year, the defendant had submitted only a statement of account with 22 corresponding receipts to the bureau in respect of one of the programmes. A week later, the defendant's wife and his mother-in-law gave him about $142,000 and $190,000 to settle part of the expenses incurred from the programmes concerned.

Independent Commission Against Corruption officers searched his home and office and found 95 receipts concerning the four remaining programmes and some blank receipts. Most in respect of the five programmes were found to be false. When interviewed, the defendant admitted he was in financial hardship.