Two Hong Kong district councillors among trio arrested by commercial crime police over election expenses
- Three men accused of running HK$5 million fraud conspiracy involving campaign expenses, one also held for firearms offence
- Yuen Long district councillor Henry Wong reports he was detained, along with Kowloon City’s Lee Hin-long, on Sunday morning
Two Hong Kong district councillors were among three men arrested on Sunday by commercial crime police over their election expenses, with one of the suspects also held for an imitation firearms offence.
Opposition politicians Henry Wong Pak-yu, who sits on Yuen Long District Council, and Kowloon City’s Timothy Lee Hin-long, as well as a third suspect, were accused of making false documents to “cheat the government” out of nearly HK$5 million.
Superintendent Yip Wing-lam said three men – two aged 26 and a 29-year-old – were held in Yuen Long, Sha Tin and Hung Hom on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in relation to expenses claims for the since-delayed Legislative Council polls.
Yip told a press briefing that police officers also found a large collection of imitation firearms at one of the men’s homes after seizing documents, computers, laptops and mobile phones from the three suspects’ premises.
Police said the arsenal included eight rifles, 17 pistols, imitation ammunition and a wooden bow and that one of the arrested men was also held on suspicion of possessing imitation firearms.
A police source identified Wong as the firearms suspect, adding the trio would be held overnight.