HK$1.39b in criminal proceeds frozen; more punished for laundering

The city froze HK$1.39 billion in crime proceeds under court orders last year - the largest in three years - with the government confiscating HK$50 million, the Department of Justice said.

Prosecutors also took more money laundering cases to court - 441 last year compared with 290 in 2011 - leading to the conviction of 166 people. Of these, two mainland offenders saw assets of some HK$273 million frozen by a court order.

The figures were unveiled in an annual report, "Prosecutions Hong Kong 2012", that the department issued yesterday as a review of the prosecution's performance last year.

Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos also insisted the right to demonstrate was being upheld amid claims by activists that protesters were increasingly being prosecuted.

"Given the large number of demonstrations now taking place, the number of prosecutions has been reserved for the most blatant of cases where people have clearly crossed the line by disregarding and violating the law," Zervos said.

The number of authorised protests increased fivefold between 1997 and last year. Some 31 people were prosecuted for demonstrating last year, the department said. In both 1997 and 2012 the prosecution rate was 0.3 per cent, the data showed.

Zervos said the prosecution figures were low and reflected "due regard and respect to the right to demonstrate".