Love almost conquers all as former Hong Kong official Wilson Fung and businesswoman Cheyenne Chan are cleared of bribery, but misconduct verdict could send Fung to jail for years
- Government figure who made key decisions on air traffic control rights convicted after failing to declare conflict of interest
- Fung was on trial over HK$510,000 property payment alongside businesswoman Chan, who the judge accepted were madly in love
A married former Hong Kong official and the sister-in-law of gaming tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun have been cleared of bribery over the initial deposit paid on a flat 15 years ago, after a judge accepted they were madly in love at the time.
But that affair was also the reason Wilson Fung Wing-yip, husband of high-ranking official Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, was found guilty of misconduct in public office for failing to declare an obvious conflict of interest that arose from the payment.
His defence counsel Joseph Tse Wah-yuen SC said the case was unfortunate because his future and reputation was “completely ruined because of a woman”.
The secret affair between Wilson Fung, 55, and businesswoman Cheyenne Chan Ung-iok, 63, stole the spotlight at their bribery trial as they revealed their 13-year love for the first time in public, while as proof their lawyers presented photographs of them posing arm in arm around the world.
The case centred on Chan’s settling an initial HK$510,000 (US$65,000) deposit on a flat bought by Fung, while he was deputy secretary for economic and labour handling aviation-related applications from her companies, Helicopters Hong Kong, HK Express and Heli Express.