Four people have been jailed for up to two and a half years by the District Court for conducting unauthorised checks on bank customers' personal data for debt-collecting companies.

Lo Po-shun, 41, director of Honesty Corporate Management and partner of Shun Tat Debt Collection Service Company, was found guilty on one count each of conspiracy and incitement to access a computer with dishonest intent. He was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Honesty staff member Hung Tsz-yin, 42, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy and one of incitement to access a computer with dishonest intent. He was jailed for 18 months.

Former bank clerk Au Yeung Yuk-lin, 29, and her brother Au Yeung Chi-fai, 38, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to access a computer with dishonest intent. They were jailed for 10 and 12 months.

District Court Judge Joseph Yau said the offences have hurt Hong Kong's reputation as an international finance centre, and seriously undermined the public's confidence in the banking system's integrity.

Between January 2003 and June 2005, Lo conspired with Hung and some bank staff to conduct unauthorised checks of the banks' customers' personal data to facilitate his debt collecting business. Hung had also conspired with Au Yeung Chi-fai to request Au Yeung Yuk-lin, who was then a bank clerk, to retrieve customers' personal data to facilitate the two companies' business.