The wife of a man jailed for the city's biggest cocaine bust has been cleared of laundering dirty money linked to the drug world after a judge said it was reasonable for her to believe that the HK$8 million she was accused of cleaning came from her husband's gambling habit and real estate business.
Judge Douglas Yau Tak-hong told District Court that it was reasonable for Hunan -born Ling Yuen-sheung, 37, to believe the money in her three accounts was not from crime.
Ling, who appeared relaxed before the verdict, left the court with a big smile. 'I am very happy,' she said.
The judge noted that her husband, Pang Yuet-wan, who is serving a 22-year prison term for storing 232kg of cocaine at home in Sha Tau Kok, often bragged about his large winnings from gambling.
A reasonable person would not necessarily doubt the money came from gambling and from Pang's work as a real-estate agent, Yau said. He found Ling and the two defence witnesses - Tai Po Tin villager Lai Hoi-shan and Yuet-wan's elder brother Pang Hok-lun - honest and reliable.
'[Ling's] evidence was consistent throughout,' the judge said. 'She knew from the beginning that Pang liked to gamble. After she had moved to Hong Kong, his habit had not changed.