Hong Kong police freeze bank accounts of fugitive ex-lawmaker Ted Hui’s family, accusing him of embezzlement, possible security law violations

‘We are not targeting his family, we are targeting the HK$850,000’, police say, alleging the amount was misappropriated from crowdfunding campaign

The force also said that comments Hui had made on Facebook since leaving Hong Kong could be construed as a breach of the national security law

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Former Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui has fled to Britain to avoid charges tied to last year’s anti-government protests. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 2:04pm, 7 Dec 2020Updated: 12:09am, 8 Dec 2020

Hong Kong police have confirmed they froze the bank accounts of former opposition lawmaker-turned-fugitive Ted Hui Chi-fung, as well as those of his parents and wife, accusing him of misappropriating money from a crowdfunding campaign.

The force also alleged that Hui’s recent social media remarks about “widening Hong Kong’s international battlefront” could have violated the city’s sweeping national security law.

Denying the accusations, the self-exiled former politician posted an audit report on Facebook as evidence he had “never embezzled funds” from a law firm’s account that had held the crowdfunded money.

“All proceeds from the crowdfunding campaign have nothing to do with my account and those of my family,” Hui wrote on Monday evening.

Self-exiled former lawmaker Ted Hui took to social media on Sunday night to say HSBC had frozen, then unfrozen, his parents’ bank accounts. Photo: AFP

Out on bail and facing a raft of criminal charges related to anti-government protests in Hong Kong, Hui fled to Britain by way of Denmark last week. Hui’s family is understood to have also left Hong Kong.

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