The jail term of a former senior Customs officer who testified against his accomplices in passport scams and a money-laundering conspiracy was further reduced by 18 months yesterday.
The Court of Appeal heard that Philip Chu Hak-lan, 40, who was a senior inspector, put himself and his family at risk by taking the stand in three trials. Details were not revealed in open court.
In the District Court last year, Chu, who helped people obtain foreign passports illegally, admitted plotting to unlawfully obtain passports and conspiring to launder money. He was jailed for 4.5 years after the judge said he would reduce by half the nine-year sentence he had taken as a starting point.
Yesterday, Chu's barrister, Christina Ma, urged the appeal court to reduce the jail term by two-thirds from the starting point because he had given further assistance to the Independent Commission Against Corruption by testifying in the three trials.
Ms Ma said he provided testimony in the trial of Macau casino boss Michael Leung Chung, 49, and businessman Adam Wong Ping-shui, 37. He also testified against immigration officers Clinton Kwan Che-ping, 51, and Steve Lam Yuk-fai, 44.
The court heard Leung and Wong were each jailed for five years for their roles in a sophisticated plot to launder up to US$2 million (HK$15.5 million) in crime proceeds.