Hong Kong court drops 'ridiculous' HK$15 charge vs Pinay maid

A Hong Kong court on Wednesday dropped what was earlier branded as a "ridiculous" charge lodged against a Filipina maid for allegedly cheating her employer of HK$15 (P82).

The dismissal of the case came after a magistrate asked if the police had "nothing better to do," theHong Kong Standard news site reported on Thursday.

Cherry Obienda Sudaria, 41, smiled as she left Eastern Court after signing a HK$1,000 good behavior bond for 12 months, the report said.

It was the second recent case in which the prosecution has been forced to drop a charge based on a small sum. An earlier case involved a taxi driver who overcharged a passenger by 50 cents.

Cab driver Tam Hoi-chi, 57, had endured a six-month ordeal before the Department of Justice considered it was "not appropriate" to proceed with the charge.

On Wednesday's hearing for Sudaria, principal magistrate Bina Chainrai described the case as ridiculous and asked whether the prosecution had considered other options.

The case stemmed from an incident last April 29 where Sudaria was instructed by her employer surnamed Chow to buy HK$50 worth of pork.

However, she bought only HK$35 worth and kept the HK$15.

Chow reported the matter to the police after seeing the amount of pork was less than expected. Sudaria was arrested after admitting she had kept the balance, and was charged with theft.

Hong Kong Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers Association chairman Joseph Law Kwan-din said it was common for maids to shortchange their employer.

However, he said the association had not received any complaint or inquiry from an employer.

He advised employers to buy groceries themselves or ask their maids to shop at supermarkets and show receipts.

However, Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions chairperson Bobo Po Lai-wan, said maids may lose their credibility if they shortchange their employers.

Another Filipina maid, Rosemarie Bayron, said it did not make sense to hale someone to court over HK$15.

"It should have been settled directly with the boss as taking it to court involved a huge amount of public money. (But) maybe her boss is strict and wanted to teach her a lesson," Bayron said.

Bayron added it is hard to get receipts in wet markets.

Good behavior bond

A separate report on the South China Morning Post said Sudaria was put on a good-behavior bond after Magistrate Symon Wong Yu-wing dismissed the theft charge against her.

Sudaria declined to comment outside the court. - VVP, GMA News

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