Wan Chai District Council member Lee Kai-hung has been jailed five months by the District Court for making false expense claims.

The 48-year-old, also an insurance company district manager, was ordered by Deputy Judge Li Wai-chi to pay $19,149 in restitution to the Government.

Issuing the sentence today Judge Li said he had not found Lee remorseful because he did not plead guilty at the first available opportunity, and challenged the prosecution by applying for a permanent stay of proceedings.

As a District Council member Lee was given an allowance to cover expenses for council duties, like hiring assistants and running ward offices.

Between May 2006 and February 2007 he overstated the salaries of three assistants by more than $19,000 in reimbursement forms and induced the Wan Chai District Council Secretariat to grant him the payments.

Between January 2004 and March 2007 he assigned non-District Council duties to councillor assistants, including preparing insurance documents for his private insurance business.