A taxi driver who found a bag containing more than HK$2 million in his cab a year ago has been told the bad news - he can't keep it. The rightful owner had belatedly stepped forward to reclaim his fortune - won at a Macau casino - and officials have now confirmed his credentials.
Police said yesterday that the Department of Justice took about six months to study the case to sort out who should get the cash - the honest taxi driver who handed in the money to police, or a local businessman who made a claim three months later.
'[The businessman] is the rightful owner. We have conducted a thorough investigation in Hong Kong and Macau,' a police officer said. The money was returned and the taxi driver informed last week, he said.
Under the Police Force Ordinance, a finder may keep lost property if no one else makes a claim within three months - unless the finder is a member of the police force.
The cabbie could have kept the money 'only if the genuine owner was not found', an officer said. 'We sought legal advice before returning the cash to the rightful owner.'
The taxi driver raised no objection to the final decision, the officer said. Police would not say whether the owner had contacted the honest cabbie or offered him a reward.