A former Tsuen Wan District Councillor has received a suspended sentence for making false expense claims.

Wu Ki-fook, 69, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud and was sentenced today by Tsuen Wan Magistracy to four months' jail suspended for 18 months.

Between July 2002 and September 2003 he employed his daughter-in-law as his councillor assistant for a monthly salary of $6,000 and a year-end bonus of $3,000. But Home Affairs Department guidelines state a District Councillor cannot apply for reimbursement for employing relatives as assistants.

Wu falsely represented in expenses claims the assistant he employed was not his relative. As a result 15 reimbursement applications for $93,000 in allowances were wrongly approved.