PETER PANNU has been accused of crimes ranging from beatings to bribery - but he has never been convicted.
But the suspended anti-triad officer's legal saga rolled to a halt yesterday when Judge Jackson ended his corruption trial.
When Judge Gould acquitted the senior inspector of assault last year, he wondered aloud whether a 'hidden agenda' lay behind Mr Pannu's prosecution.
He noted 'an intricate relationship between the witnesses as well as various members of the police'.
Three of the five witnesses had police connections: television star Ng Kai-ming is the son of an officer; karaoke bar owner Ka Po-ming was an ex-policeman; and the unofficial investigator of the incident was an off-duty police officer.
Some officers claim Mr Pannu, of Indian origin, is the victim of jealousy and racism. They also say he has fallen prey to a job that requires close links with triads.