A Hong Kong doctor has been arrested after being accused of charging three undercover police officers HK$4,000 (US$510) each for Covid-19 vaccination exemption certificates without proper medical diagnosis. A law enforcement source on Wednesday said the general practitioner could have pocketed as much as HK$16 million a month by issuing some 4,000 illegal certificates. The operation is believed to have lasted for several months. In response to the incident, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city’s No 2 official, condemned any medical workers who put unscrupulous financial gains first, vowing the government would hold such doctors legally liable. “It is a pity that some mercenary medical practitioners place personal interests above that of the whole society,” he wrote on social media. Hong Kong doctor arrested on suspicion of issuing bogus Covid-19 jab exemptions Chan also said he had ordered the Security Bureau to follow up on all those who had used the fake certificates. “Their abuse of exemption certificates will undoubtedly contribute to the spread of the virus, endanger public health and indirectly hinder the society’s recovery,” Chan said. During a raid of the doctor’s clinic in Yau Ma Tei on Tuesday night, the force also arrested three female assistants and seized HK$760,000 along with a large number of related documents and computers. Another HK$1.1 million was seized in the doctor’s home in the early hours of Wednesday. The four were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to make false instruments – an offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail under the Crimes Ordinance. As of Wednesday afternoon, they were still being held for questioning. Detectives from the Kowloon West regional crime unit began investigating earlier this month after receiving intelligence that the doctor had allegedly issued the certificates to patients. On Tuesday, three undercover police officers were deployed to the Nathan Road clinic in Yau Ma Tei to gather evidence. The Post was told the doctor involved was Tai Kong-shing, aged 76. “Our undercover agents were issued with the vaccination exemption certificates without proper consultation or examination of their medical records,” the source said. Each agent was charged HK$4,000. The source said a preliminary investigation suggested the clinic had been running such operations for at least three months. Police looking for Hong Kong doctor suspected of selling jab exemption record At about 9pm on Tuesday, crime-squad officers swooped into action and arrested the doctor and his three assistants at the clinic. At the time of the raid, more than 10 people were waiting for their turn for consultation. Superintendent Alan Chung of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said the investigation suggested a total of 193 vaccination exemptions were issued on Tuesday to patients who were reluctant to get the Covid-19 shots. He said police believed the seized cash – HK$760,000 – was part of the daily revenue and crime proceeds. “An initial investigation suggested the patients were young people as well as the elderly, and came to know the clinic through referrals from friends,” the superintendent said. He believed they were reluctant to get vaccinated and were willing to pay between HK$4,000 and HK$5,000 each to get the certificate. It was estimated the clinic issued about 200 certificates daily, but Chung said police were still investigating. He added that officers were also looking into whether the patients involved committed forgery-related offences. Half of Hong Kong restaurants have ‘no idea’ how to enforce vaccine pass scheme The superintendent condemned the alleged acts, saying the selfish behaviour had disregarded public health and overall pandemic work. The case is the second of its kind in the city in two weeks. On September 5, Dr Annie Choi Suk-mui, 64, was arrested for allegedly issuing more than 7,000 exemption certificates without proper diagnosis. Under the vaccine pass scheme, a person who is medically unsuitable for a Covid-19 jab must obtain an exemption certificate issued by a doctor. The Department of Health earlier set out guidelines for private practitioners, listing reasons people would be medically unsuitable for the two vaccines available in Hong Kong, Sinovac and BioNTech. The guidelines stated doctors should make clinical judgments in line with the code of professional conduct and relevant government instructions when deciding if patients met conditions for a jab exemption. Additional reporting by Danny Mok