Singapore military vehicles case moved to District Court, defendants face harsher penalties
Ship master and shipping company charged with failing to obtain proper authorisation to transport nine Singaporean Terrex military vehicles last year
A ship master and a shipping company charged over the nine Singaporean military vehicles temporarily detained in Hong Kong last year had their case moved on Friday to a higher court, opening the possibility of harsher sentences for the accused.
The transfer to the District Court from West Kowloon Court came after Acting Principal Magistrate So Wai-tak ordered their separate cases to be merged into one, at the prosecutors’ request.
The Terrex armoured troop carriers impounded by customs officers on November 23 last year was the biggest seizure of strategic commodities in Hong Kong in two decades.
In March, assistant director of public prosecutions Bianca Cheng indicated their intention to bring the case to a higher court. At present, magistrates in Hong Kong can generally impose a maximum sentence of a HK$100,000 fine and two years’ imprisonment; while judges at the District Court can impose seven year prison terms.
