THE Crown was yesterday given a 24-hour deadline for any appeal to the High Court against a bail order for a 35-year-old businessman charged following an ICAC investigation into a cross-border smuggling ring.

South Kowloon Court magistrate Mr Richard Davies ordered that Cheung Sai-hung, charged with exporting unmanifested video recorders in June last year, be bailed from noon today unless the prosecution sought to apply to the High Court.

The conditions of bail are $50,000 cash plus a $50,000 surety, that he should report to a police station, surrender all travel documents and not leave the territory.

Two other defendants, lorry drivers Chan Yiu-man, 32, and Pun Tak-choi, 35, are accused of handling stolen goods. They were given $10,000 cash bail plus a $10,000 surety and ordered to report to a police station once a week.