Four arrested after masks procured by Hong Kong government are suspected to have false trade descriptions
- They are believed to have sold boxes of surgical masks to the Government Logistics Department that had false trade descriptions
- Masks were procured in March and delivered in batches, department said
Hong Kong customs officers have arrested four people for allegedly violating trade descriptions laws when selling masks to the government.
The suspects, who worked for two companies, were detained on Wednesday and later released on bail, sources said.
They were suspected to have sold boxes of surgical masks to the Government Logistics Department (GLD) that bore false trade descriptions.
In a reply to the Post, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau confirmed the arrests but said no details about the case could be revealed at this stage because the investigation was ongoing.
The GLD, which is responsible for procurement for government bureaus and departments, said on Saturday night the masks involved were procured in March and delivered in batches since then. But it did not state the brands involved.
“GLD has already informed all government departments which had been allocated the concerned masks to stop using them,” it said in a statement.
It was liaising with the departments to arrange the return of the masks to the GLD for transferring them to the Customs and Excise Department for further handling.