Huge increase in investigations by Hong Kong authorities into suspected breaches of UN sanctions in last five years

Police and customs investigated 14 cases between them in 2014 – and 182 last year

Undersecretary for Commerce Bernard Chan says no cases resulted in charges as government deregistered suspect companies or denied suspicious ships entry

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Investigations by Hong Kong authorities into suspected breaches of United Nations sanctions have multiplied by 14 in recent years, from 13 cases in 2014 to 181 last year. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 3:40pm, 23 Jan 2019Updated: 11:27pm, 23 Jan 2019

Hong Kong authorities have reported a substantial surge in the number of cases of suspected breaches of United Nations sanctions in the past five years.

But no charges were laid in that time as the government dealt with such cases by deregistering suspect companies or denying suspicious ships from entering the city.

The number of reported cases rose from 13 in 2014 to 182 last year. During that time, the city’s police investigated 201 cases of suspected breach of UN sanctions while Hong Kong’s customs investigated 99 cases over the same period.

Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan Pak-li made the revelation at the Legislative Council, in response to a question from accountancy sector lawmaker Kenneth Leung.

The issue of UN sanctions has become a matter of concern for lawmakers, particularly after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei Technologies’ chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou last month at the request of prosecutors in New York, over Huawei’s alleged use of an unofficial subsidiary to skirt United States sanctions to conduct business in Iran.