A businessman accused of involvement in a multimillion-dollar fraud case killed himself in his cell just hours after urging his wife to fight to clear their names, the Coroner's Court was told yesterday.
Yip Hiu-sui, 46, was discovered hanging by a blanket from the window of his cell in the isolation unit of the hospital at Lai Chi Kok reception centre on January 25. A jury yesterday found he had committed suicide.
Yip, a director of Fountain Datacom, was accused along with his wife Tang Wai-na, vice-manager of mainland food conglomerate Guangnan (Holdings), of defrauding banks with false letters of credit.
He and Tang were two of the six defendants in the fraud case who appeared in Western Court on January 17.
The six had been charged with misappropriating $66.8 million.
Yip had been remanded in custody at the Lai Chi Kok reception centre after appearing in court and was waiting for the case to be transferred to the High Court.
Correctional Services Department officers told the Coroner's Court that Yip was distressed and emotionally unstable during his time in the centre.