The final chapter in the long and costly legal saga involving former executives of the Allied Group reveals two fundamental truths about Hong Kong's pursuit of suspected commercial criminals.
It shows that the arm of the law can be very long indeed - stretching back far into the past and refusing to release its grip until the accused have been brought to justice. But it also demonstrates that when a penalty is finally imposed, it often amounts to little more than a brush on the knuckles with a feather duster.
Now that the sentences have been passed, and the 12-year drama brought to an end, we are left wondering whether it was really worth putting so much time, money and effort into the pursuit of these two businessmen.
The case, which twice collapsed in embarrassing circumstances because of regrettable problems with the prosecution, has not cast our system of criminal justice in a particularly favourable light.
And all this for what, in the end, amounted to a plea bargain in which admissions were made to the less serious charges and relatively light sentences imposed. Surely there is a better way of tackling commercial crime.
Former chairman of the group Lee Ming Tee might, understandably, feel that the one-year sentence imposed on him yesterday is not especially lenient. His co-accused, Ronald Tse Chu-fai, fared rather better. He was given a suspended sentence last year.
But these convictions and sentences are a poor return for an investigation which has cost many millions and spanned more than a decade.
