Petty jealousy is at the root of fraud allegations involving the founder and chair of a local society working on developing a seniors home supported chiefly by volunteers.
That’s according to Alan Lau, who heads up Richmond-based Canadian Low Income Seniors Affordable Housing Society. He is the subject of a B.C. Securities Commission hearing set for Sept. 8.
“People are jealous of what we’ve been able to accomplish and the award I was presented,” Lau, 89, told the News Thursday.
“In Chinese, there’s a saying that the big tree draws the wind.”
The recognition Lau referred to was part of the Award for Lifetime Achievement and Community Champions handed out in March 2014 to celebrate the work of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation which bills itself on their website as Canada’s leading agency dedicated to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society.
Lau said he was the only award recipient from British Columbia named for a Community Champion Special Award.
“This award was both very good and very bad for me,” he said, adding it formed the basis of allegations he pocketed $50,000 from one of the society’s volunteers he had persuaded to invest in the seniors centre.
The securities commission hearing focuses on allegation the money was used to pay one of Lau’s personal credits cards.
Lau said that while he does often use his own credit card to conduct society business, none of the $50,000 was used for payment.
“Never, not one cent,” he said, adding he intends to attend the securities commission hearing and have his name cleared.
