Edwin Wong arrested in controversy surrounding FC Barcelona deal and troubling background

1 year ago 142

16th January 2025 – (Hong Kong) Edwin Wong Ho-ting, CEO of Winman Advertising and Entertainment Group, recently made headlines following his arrest on charges related to forgery and making false reports. The allegations stem from a purported attempt to fabricate an email correspondence from the Kai Tak Sports Park, where Wong claimed that a technical error had prevented the submission of an application for hosting a football match featuring FC Barcelona.

Wong’s professional history is fraught with controversy. He has previously faced multiple legal disputes over unpaid wages, which have raised questions about his business practices. According to local media HK01, he owned a marketing firm named Lloyce, where he was the sole director and shareholder. Reports indicate that he has been involved in several court cases concerning unpaid salaries and service fees, leading to significant scrutiny from labour rights organisations.

Edwin Wong was also a director and shareholder of the marketing companies SET Media and SET Agency. In 2021, SET Agency faced legal action for failing to pay numerous employees’ salaries, as well as for unpaid rent and service fees. The company was also accused by the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) authority for not making contributions. At that time, labour rights organisations took an interest in the case, with some individuals claiming they were harassed while pursuing their owed wages.

Wong addressed the situation on his Facebook page, stating that he had already sold his shares in SET Agency. After discussions with the company’s board, he asserted that they would settle the outstanding salaries and acknowledged that he bore some responsibility for mismanagement during his tenure as a director.

Perhaps most striking is Wong’s approach to self-promotion. He has been known to utilise doctored images for advertising purposes, including a highly questionable promotional photo that featured his head superimposed onto a stock image of a foreign model, a practice that raises ethical concerns about authenticity in marketing. This image, which he provided to media outlets, was altered to present a misleading representation of himself, with only his head remaining intact while the rest of the body belonged to a completely different individual.

Earlier, HK01 revealed that in 2024, Edwin Wong was involved in a deal to acquire the free newspaper am730 through his marketing company. However, the transaction ultimately fell through due to a bounced cheque for HK$1 million intended as a “good faith” deposit. The founder of am730, Shih Wing-ching who is also the Chairman of Centaline Property Agency, publicly stated that the buyer lacked sincerity and could not be trusted. When reporters sought comment from Wong, the call was interrupted, but he later called back to deny any claims of being untrustworthy. When pressed about his experience in organising football matches, he refused to respond further and ended the call abruptly.