Bribery trial of former Hong Kong home affairs minister Patrick Ho begins in New York, as jurors say they hold no bias against China
- Ho stands accused of bribing African officials to bag oil development rights for a Shanghai-based energy group
Twelve jurors with the fate of detained former Hong Kong minister Patrick Ho Chi-ping in their hands have told a US court they hold no bias against China.
They were responding to questions from New York District Court judge Loretta Preska as the bribery trial against Ho began on Monday, local time.
The jurors and three substitutes – 11 women and four men – were pulled from a roster of 50 people from the Southern District of New York, where the court has jurisdiction, and vetted before the judge, the prosecution and Ho’s defence lawyer.
Ho, who was the city’s home affairs secretary from 2002 to 2007, earlier pleaded not guilty to five bribery charges and three money-laundering charges. He is accused of bribing African officials with a total of US$2.9 million, to bag oil development rights for Shanghai-based energy group CEFC China Energy.
The defence has said the money was merely donations intended to advance the business interests of CEFC, which Ho represented.
