Uproar among Hong Kong police officers as national security director stripped of post but keeps rank following scandal
- Frederic Choi was placed on leave after officers caught him at Wan Chai massage parlour in May
- The Department of Justice has cleared him of wrongdoing and he will now head training and discipline, a move one insider called ‘a fatal blow to the force’s integrity’
Hong Kong police’s national security director who was investigated for visiting an unlicensed massage parlour has been stripped of his post and reassigned as the force’s head of training and discipline, triggering an uproar in the ranks over his new appointment.
Frederic Choi Chin-pang, 50, had been cleared of any illegal misconduct, but still faced a civil service disciplinary hearing, Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee revealed on Saturday.
The No 2 officer at the national security department of the police was put on leave in March after he was caught during a raid on the Viet Spa in Wan Chai where illegal sex services were being offered.
Choi, who holds the rank of senior assistant commissioner, would now be director of personnel and training, in charge of the force’s human resources, discipline and training, Siu said. He was expected to return to work this coming week, according to an insider.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had completed a review of the case last week and cleared Choi of any criminal charges, Siu said.