The District Court has jailed PCCW's former group finance director Lam Sing-keung for 18 months for conspiracy to defraud the company of over $430,000 in accounting service fees.

In sentencing, Deputy Judge Josiah Lam said a custodial sentence was imposed on the defendant as his offence was serious and constituted a breach of trust.

Between January 1 and 17, 2005, Lam, 48, conspired with another person to defraud PCCW by falsely representing in a debit note that Baker Tilly Hong Kong had rendered accounting services for PCCW entities on the Mainland in 2004 at the agreed fee for the services rendered, amounting to $432,000.

He also submitted a payment request for professional fees charged by Baker Tilly Hong Kong for accounting services on the Mainland for 2004 in the same total amount.