The Hong Kong Monetary Authority concedes it does not have the power to stop a charity issuing $1 million commemorative banknotes, despite concerns people will be fooled.
Authority spokesman Albert Chan Yu-chung said last night the $1 million notes sold by Pok Oi Hospital last week could not be classed as reproductions because there were no legal $1 million notes.
Police were also uncertain what action could be taken when the charity's decision to launch the notes was not a commercial crime and involved the territory's rich and powerful.
The authority yesterday issued an alert about possible confusion over issue of the notes, which carry a watermark similar to the symbol of the Special Administrative Region.
The notes were being sold in sets for $128 in the first week and then for $138.