Police freeze $30 million in bank account of Mark Six jackpot winner

A 36-year-old male staff from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department was arrested on suspicion of theft after he allegedly refused to split a winning Mark Six jackpot with his colleagues.

This as Police Commissioner Joe Chow said the man's bank account has been frozen which reportedly contains around 30 million dollars.

Authorities arrested the 36-year-old male staff from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) on Friday.

He was granted bail pending further investigation, and was required to report to the police in the middle of next month.

Speaking on the case, Police Commissioner Joe Chow said the police have already frozen the bank account of the suspect, which reportedly contains around 30 million dollars from the jackpot.

He further noted the incident has been listed as a case of theft according to the city's Theft Ordinance.

Under the ordinance, individuals convicted of theft are liable to imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years.

This as representatives in the legal sector noted that the proceeds from the jackpot could not be immediately obtained even if both parties come to a settlement, stressing that the process requires the conclusion of the criminal case or claims of damages.

The case took place on the 5th of this month during the Mark Six 50th Anniversary Snowball draw, which involves a first prize of 228 million dollars.

Sources say 15 FEHD staff participated in the draw with a health inspector surnamed Ling responsible for purchasing the tickets.

He subsequently claimed a prize totalling over 30 million dollars.

Ling then claimed he deserved more of the prize money given his selection of the jackpot's winning numbers, which was rejected by his fellow colleagues.

He promptly applied for leave of around five days after the incident, during which his colleagues notified the police fearing that Ling may have absconded with the money.