Bribery trial set to begin for ex-Hong Kong minister Patrick Ho
- Ho says he is not guilty of charges that he conspired to bribe the president of Chad and the Ugandan foreign minister
- He was once Hong Kong’s home affairs secretary
The New York trial of a former Hong Kong minister charged in a UN-linked bribery conspiracy is set to begin with jury selection on Monday.
The trial of Patrick Ho Chi-ping begins a year after he was arrested on charges accusing him of paying bribes so a Chinese energy conglomerate could secure business advantages. He has been held without bail.
His lawyer has said Ho was looking forward to clearing his name. Ho was once Hong Kong’s home affairs minister.
Ho has insisted he is not guilty of charges that he conspired in October 2014 to bribe the president of Chad and the Ugandan foreign minister.
Prosecutors say Ho’s former co-defendant, Cheikh Gadio, will testify at trial that Ho arranged a US$2 million bribe to be delivered to Chad’s president in gift boxes.
Last Wednesday, US District Judge Loretta A. Preska overruled defence objections, saying Gadio could testify that he understood Ho’s US$2 million cash payment to President Idriss Deby to be a “bribe”.