https://www.scmp.com/rss/204662/feed Rafael Hui Si-Yan, born in 1948, is a former Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and a former career civil servant. Hui was arrested in March 2012 by the Independent Commission Against Corruption on suspicion of corruption. The trial of Hui, along with Sun Hung Kai Properties co-chairmen Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and Raymond Kwok Ping-luen, which opened in early June 2014, was called the most high-profile corruption trial in the history of the Hong Kong SAR. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jess Ma,Ng Kang-chung Jess Ma,Ng Kang-chung Rafael Hui Si-yan, a former Hong Kong chief secretary who was jailed for pocketing nearly HK$20 million from a prominent land developer, has died at the age of 77. “Mr Rafael Hui passed away at [Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital] peacefully on Sunday after a brave fight with an acute illness,” a source told the South China Morning Post. Former Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen told SCMP on Monday that he was deeply saddened to learn about Hui’s death. They had worked together for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3342016/convicted-hong-kong-official-rafael-hui-dies-age-77?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3342016/convicted-hong-kong-official-rafael-hui-dies-age-77?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:24:47 +0000 A veteran Hong Kong opposition politician who was stripped of his civic honours alongside two of his allies over their jail sentences has said he had no regrets, arguing his participation in an unauthorised assembly was a matter of conscience. Former Democratic Party chairman Yeung Sum, who was released from prison in April after completing a 14-month sentence for taking part in an unauthorised assembly during the 2019 social unrest, also said on Friday that he had not appealed against the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3181203/occupy-co-founder-benny-tai-2-other-opposition-veterans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3181203/occupy-co-founder-benny-tai-2-other-opposition-veterans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2022 07:21:52 +0000 Disgraced Hong Kong property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong is returning to his family business empire, nine months after completing a jail term for a 2014 bribery scandal involving one of the city’s highest public officials. Kwok, 67, has been appointed as a senior director at Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, a unit of Hong Kong’s largest developer Sun Hung Kai Properties, according to an internal announcement to group employees on Thursday. “He will focus on long-term strategy of land planning... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3044370/disgraced-tycoon-returns-sun-hung-kai-property-empire-after-jail-term-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3044370/disgraced-tycoon-returns-sun-hung-kai-property-empire-after-jail-term-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2020 12:44:53 +0000 One of Hong Kong’s most sensational trials culminated two years ago in the rejection by the top court of appeals against corruption convictions by former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan and former Sun Hung Kai Properties tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong. In a final footnote last week, Hui walked out of jail after serving five years of a 71/2 year sentence, just nine months after Kwok walked free. Also this year, coincidentally, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, the former chief executive who nominated Hui... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3043104/dark-chapter-hong-kongs-history-finally-closed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3043104/dark-chapter-hong-kongs-history-finally-closed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Dec 2019 13:56:16 +0000 A former Hong Kong No 2 official jailed for pocketing nearly HK$20 million from a prominent land developer was released on Wednesday after spending five years behind bars. Former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan walked out of Stanley Prison in Southern district on early release because of good behaviour. He was seen smiling but did not speak to the media gathered outside when he left the prison at about 9.15am, accompanied by an entourage who led him to a black seven-seater vehicle carrying... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042531/former-hong-kong-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-released-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042531/former-hong-kong-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-released-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2019 01:28:33 +0000 A former Hong Kong No. 2 official jailed for pocketing bribes and inducements totalling HK$19.6 million (US$2.51 million) from a prominent land developer will be set free on Wednesday after spending almost five years behind bars. Former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan will walk free from the Stanley Prison in Southern District, where the flamboyant bureaucrat – who was once offered luxury flats in the affluent neighbourhood of Happy Valley – was jailed since December 2014. He was sentenced to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042322/former-hong-kong-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-walk-free?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3042322/former-hong-kong-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-walk-free?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2019 04:00:14 +0000 Property mogul Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong walked out of Hong Kong’s maximum-security Stanley Prison on Thursday morning, having served most of a five-year jail term for bribing the city’s former No 2 government official. The 67-year-old’s son, Adam Kwok Kai-fai, was there to meet him as he walked free. He had with him a pineapple bun and milk tea, he said, the traditional Hong Kong treats being the first things his father wanted to eat and drink outside prison. The mogul’s daughter, Noelle Kwok, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3002598/jailed-hong-kong-property-mogul-thomas-kwok-released?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3002598/jailed-hong-kong-property-mogul-thomas-kwok-released?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Mar 2019 01:56:11 +0000 A former senior Hong Kong stock exchange executive was released early from a maximum security prison on Thursday morning, becoming the first of four men to be freed following their convictions in a corruption scandal that took down the city’s former No 2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan. At about 8.45am, Francis Kwan Hung-sang was sent to the gates of Stanley Prison in a golf cart and escorted out by two officials from the Correctional Services Department. Carrying a plastic bag and wearing a smile,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2142370/middleman-rafael-hui-graft-case-gets-early-release-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2142370/middleman-rafael-hui-graft-case-gets-early-release-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Apr 2018 03:00:59 +0000 A former Hong Kong stock exchange official will walk out of Stanley Prison a free man next week, 20 months before he was expected to be released for his conviction in a corruption scandal that took down the city’s former No 2 official. A source told the Post on Tuesday that Francis Kwan Hung-sang would be released from the maximum security institution next week after his sentence was reduced by a third for good behaviour. “Also after deducting public holidays from the term, Kwan is expected to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2141104/rafael-hui-trial-middleman-francis-kwan-set-early-release?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2141104/rafael-hui-trial-middleman-francis-kwan-set-early-release?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Apr 2018 09:30:33 +0000 Emily Tsang Emily Tsang Disgraced former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan and property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong have been stripped of their civic honours by the government, an official notice said on Friday. Hui, the city’s former No 2 official from 2005 to 2007, was jailed for 7 ½ years after being convicted in 2014 of plotting to commit misconduct in public office and other charges. He was given the highest honour – the Grand Bauhinia Medal – in 2007 by former Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. Tsang was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2135485/guilty-graft-former-no-2-official-rafael-hui-and-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2135485/guilty-graft-former-no-2-official-rafael-hui-and-property?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Mar 2018 10:25:36 +0000 Chris Lau Chris Lau Over 120 witnesses, 230 bank accounts, local and overseas, and thousands of bank transactions spanning almost a decade: such was the task facing anti-graft officers during a six-year investigation that eventually put Hong Kong’s former No 2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan behind bars. But what turned out to be the longest investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption since the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 started out with a team of just three. “This investigation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2105628/how-small-team-graft-busters-tightened-net-hong-kongs-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2105628/how-small-team-graft-busters-tightened-net-hong-kongs-most?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Aug 2017 01:00:00 +0000 One of the defining principles of Hong Kong’s legal system is that everyone is treated equally before the law. That includes the rich and the powerful. The decision by the top court to reject appeals against corruption convictions by two prominent figures has ensured that principle is upheld. The unanimous decision by five Court of Final Appeal judges lays to rest the biggest graft trial in the city’s history. Former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan and former Sun Hung Kai Properties tycoon... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099256/clear-message-hong-kong-will-not-tolerate-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2099256/clear-message-hong-kong-will-not-tolerate-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jun 2017 20:30:44 +0000 The son of jailed Hong Kong property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong launched an emotional defence of his father on Wednesday, saying the billionaire did not have a “shred of intent to be corrupt”. Speaking outside the Court of Final Appeal after it dismissed his father’s appeal against his conviction for conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, Sun Hung Kai Properties executive director Adam Kwok Kai-fai insisted the elder Kwok was only guilty of carelessness and clumsiness. Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2098366/son-jailed-hong-kong-tycoon-thomas-kwok-says-father-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2098366/son-jailed-hong-kong-tycoon-thomas-kwok-says-father-was?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:37:44 +0000 The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal was asked in May in a high-profile corruption appeal to quash the convictions of four defendants – former joint chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, former government chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan, former Sun Hung Kai executive director Thomas Chan Kui-yuen and former stock exchange official Francis Kwan Hung-sang. The appeal centred on one of the charges, a joint count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office, concerning... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2098312/rafael-hui-case-hong-kong-court-final-appeal-judgment-brief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2098312/rafael-hui-case-hong-kong-court-final-appeal-judgment-brief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jun 2017 08:56:20 +0000 One of Hong Kong’s top property tycoons was sent back to jail on Wednesday after losing his final appeal against his conviction for bribing a former No 2 government official. The ruling by the Court of Final Appeal against tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-on closed the last chapter of one of highest-profile corruption cases in the city’s history. But it left open the possibility that public officials accused of misconduct might have to answer for what the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2098218/hong-kong-tycoon-thomas-kwok-back-jail-after-final-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2098218/hong-kong-tycoon-thomas-kwok-back-jail-after-final-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jun 2017 01:45:30 +0000 Prosecutors chose to pursue a harder to prove case against a ­former top government official to expose how it bore “all the ­hallmarks” of corruption, Hong Kong’s top court heard on Wednesday. David Perry QC, who successfully prosecuted Rafael Hui Si-yan in 2014, conceded at the Court of Final Appeal that instead of accusing the former chief secretary of receiving millions of dollars in exchange for breaching his public duty, he could have just gone after Hui for not disclosing the sum. Hui, who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2093820/rafael-hui-prosecutor-says-he-brought-more-aggressive-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2093820/rafael-hui-prosecutor-says-he-brought-more-aggressive-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 May 2017 11:58:23 +0000 A former top Hong Kong government official jailed for corruption began his final appeal on Tuesday, with his lawyers arguing that he should not have been found guilty even if he took money from a property giant in exchange for his “good feeling”. Defence lawyers told the Court of Final Appeal that former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan would otherwise be innocent as there was no evidence of any specific agreement or act to favour his paymasters, who included billionaire Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2093602/former-hong-kong-no-2-rafael-huis-acceptance-hk85m-did-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2093602/former-hong-kong-no-2-rafael-huis-acceptance-hk85m-did-not?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2017 08:45:00 +0000 Jailed former No 2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan will on Tuesday contest his conviction alongside property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong in one of the city’s highest-profile appeal bids. Hong Kong’s top court will hear in the next two days the pair’s appeal against the misconduct charge of which they were found guilty in 2014. If successful, Kwok, former joint chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties, could see an early end to his five-year jail sentence for the offence. But Hui will remain in prison... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2093502/former-hong-kong-no-2-begins-final-bid-overturn-misconduct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2093502/former-hong-kong-no-2-begins-final-bid-overturn-misconduct?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2017 01:50:51 +0000 The city’s top court is questioning whether parties involved in former government No 2 Rafael Hui Si-yan’s final appeal against his misconduct conviction should “burden” the judges with nearly a thousand pages of supporting documents. The papers include details about two development projects in which the official had played a role. In a session dealing with procedural matters on Wednesday, Court of Final Appeal Registrar Simon Kwang Cheok-weung asserted that the top judges would only examine the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2088868/top-hong-kong-court-concerned-burden-1000-pages-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2088868/top-hong-kong-court-concerned-burden-1000-pages-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Apr 2017 08:21:22 +0000 Memorabilia once belonging to Rafael Hui Si-yan, including official mementos from Hong Kong’s colonial era and the time of the city’s handover to China, have attracted more than 400 bids in a public tender, according to the organiser seeking to sell the pieces to offset the disgraced former top official’s reported debts of HK$75 million. But ivory collectors may be disappointed by the sudden removal of artworks that are apparently made of the banned material, following intervention from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2007779/mementoes-hong-kong-history-disgraced-rafael-huis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2007779/mementoes-hong-kong-history-disgraced-rafael-huis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:00:45 +0000 About 200 people, mostly from Hong Kong, have expressed interest in some of the 79 treasured pieces of memorabilia that once belonged to former top official Rafael Hui Si-yan and are now up for grabs in a public tender to offset his reported debts of HK$75 million. JLA Asia, one of the trustees handling the property of the bankrupt and jailed former chief secretary, described the response as “overwhelming” after the first day of the public tender ended on Friday. Get a piece of Hong Kong history... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1999746/overwhelming-interest-auction-rafaels-huis-hong-kong-memorabilia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1999746/overwhelming-interest-auction-rafaels-huis-hong-kong-memorabilia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:33:40 +0000 Official mementoes from Hong Kong’s colonial era and the period of the city’s return to China in 1997 are now up for grabs in an auction to offset former top official Rafael Hui Si-yan’s reported debts of HK$75 million. These items, which once belonged to Hui, include Chinese paintings, sculptures, collectible banknotes, stamps and souvenirs. The latest auction comes after two separate public tenders for part of Hui's private collection were sold for an unknown amount last year. JLA Asia, one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1998691/get-piece-hong-kong-history-auction-rafael-huis-personal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1998691/get-piece-hong-kong-history-auction-rafael-huis-personal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Aug 2016 09:00:09 +0000 Jailed property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong was freed on bail on Tuesday as the city’s top court allowed him and three accomplices to appeal against their convictions for corruption, but sent the others back to prison. The ruling sets up a final legal showdown featuring the city’s highest-profile graft case next year. Kwok, convicted of bribing former No 2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan with HK$8.5 million, was released on HK$10 million cash bail after having served 18 months behind bars. While... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1988833/treasure-what-you-have-now-tycoon-thomas-kwok-declares?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1988833/treasure-what-you-have-now-tycoon-thomas-kwok-declares?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2016 05:30:45 +0000 The Court of Appeal has green-lit a final appeal for former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan, ruling that his case has one legal point of “great and general importance”. The point in question concerns the count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office – specifically Hui acting in favour of Sun Hung Kai Properties former co-chairman Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, former executive Thomas Chan Kui-yuen and a former stock exchange official Francis Kwan Hung-sang. According to the judgment, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1928741/court-grants-appeals-rafael-hui-misconduct-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1928741/court-grants-appeals-rafael-hui-misconduct-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2016 04:03:00 +0000 The property billionaire jailed for offering illegal payments to Hong Kong’s former No 2 official told his family that he was busy in prison and not to miss him too much during the Lunar New Year. Former Sun Hung Kai Properties co-chairman Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong has already spent two Lunar New Year holidays behind bars after his conviction in a high-profile graft case involving former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan. On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal dismissed Kwok’s appeal, saying that it was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1913428/hong-kong-billionaire-rafael-hui-case-told-family-he-was?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1913428/hong-kong-billionaire-rafael-hui-case-told-family-he-was?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Feb 2016 04:32:49 +0000 All four defendants in the bribery case of former government No 2 Rafael Hui Si-yan lost their appeal against conviction on Tuesday. Adam Kwok Kai-fai said his father, former Sun Hung Kai Properties co-chairman Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong, would lodge an appeal with the Court of Final Appeal within the 28-day period. A draft of the documents was already ready, he told reporters. Hui and the two other defendants have not indicated whether they would lodge their final appeal with the city’s top... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1913379/denied-rafael-hui-staying-behind-bars-former-hong-kong-no-2?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1913379/denied-rafael-hui-staying-behind-bars-former-hong-kong-no-2?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:00:45 +0000 Two trustees handling the property of bankrupt and jailed former Chief Secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan filed lawsuits on Thursday at the High Court to pursue over HK$15 million from two parties, including a company Hui’s wife directed. Mat Ng and John Lees, managing directors of accounting firm JLA Asia and trustees of Hui’s property, asked for HK$15.29 million from a company called Top Faith Enterprises Limited. According to the government’s companies registry, Hui’s wife Teresa Lo Mei-mei served... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1886729/trustees-chase-hk15-million-rafael-hui-former-hong-kong-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1886729/trustees-chase-hk15-million-rafael-hui-former-hong-kong-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Dec 2015 07:15:30 +0000 The trial judge in the city's most high-profile graft case gave improper advice to the jury that contributed to the convictions of a former No 2 official, a tycoon and two others, defence counsel stressed one last time before their appeal hearing drew to an end days ahead of schedule. In final arguments to free former Sun Hung Kai Properties co-chairman Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong from jail, Clare Montgomery QC said trial judge Mr Justice Andrew Macrae failed to explain to the jury what a bribe meant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1875937/former-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-did-not-need-receive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1875937/former-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-did-not-need-receive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2015 07:45:30 +0000 Appeal lawyers in Hong Kong's highest-profile corruption case continued yesterday to tear into the prosecution's lack of evidence to show what exactly a former number-two official did to favour Sun Hung Kai Properties in return for bribes running into the millions. The defence focus was sharpened on the second day of a week-long appeal to challenge the convictions of two former top SHKP executives - tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and his ex-aide, Thomas Chan Kui-yuen. Barristers for the pair... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1875282/rafael-hui-and-thomas-kowk-just-friends-not-partners-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1875282/rafael-hui-and-thomas-kowk-just-friends-not-partners-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Nov 2015 08:45:00 +0000 The property tycoon jailed in the city's highest-profile graft case faced a charge of misconduct so broadly worded that no jurisdiction had ever held anyone else guilty throughout the 800-year existence of the offence, appeal judges heard yesterday. Defence barristers also said the Independent Commission Against Corruption questioned former government No 2 Rafael Hui Si-yan in 2009 without telling him the necessary caution about possible legal consequences, thereby putting him in a "potentially... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1874912/defence-lawyers-attack-potentially-incriminating-icac?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1874912/defence-lawyers-attack-potentially-incriminating-icac?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Nov 2015 05:45:45 +0000 Former Hong Kong government No 2 Rafael Hui Si-yan and property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong will start a week-long appeal today against graft convictions involving millions of dollars in "sweetener payments". Hui, who last December became the highest-level former official ever to be convicted in Hong Kong, is currently serving a 7½-year jail term. Kwok, former co-chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties, was sentenced to five years. Former SHKP executive director Thomas Chan Kui-yuen and former... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1874802/week-long-appeal-rafael-hui-bribery-scandal-gets-under-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1874802/week-long-appeal-rafael-hui-bribery-scandal-gets-under-way?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Nov 2015 19:15:45 +0000 An upcoming legal appeal over Hong Kong’s most high-profile graft case has taken shape, with the spotlight expected to fall on whether the convictions of former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan and three others were sound in the absence of specific evidence showing he favoured Sun Hung Kai Properties.  The Court of Appeal will also hear an SHKP veteran argue he should not have borne responsibility for a conspiracy to bribe Hui to the tune of HK$11 million because his bosses – jailed former... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857245/was-hong-kong-jury-wrong-convict-rafael-hui-and-middlemen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1857245/was-hong-kong-jury-wrong-convict-rafael-hui-and-middlemen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2015 06:15:00 +0000 Appeals lodged by two middlemen jailed over bribes paid to former Hong Kong chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan “have no chance of success”, the prosecution told a court handling their applications today. Prosecutors argued against granting Thomas Chan Kui-yuen, former executive director of Sun Hung Kai Properties, and former stock exchange official Francis Kwan Hung-sang permission to bring their case to the Court of Appeal in November. A decision on their applications is expected from High Court... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1856337/rafael-hui-graft-case-thomas-chan-francis-kwan-stand-no?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1856337/rafael-hui-graft-case-thomas-chan-francis-kwan-stand-no?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2015 10:15:15 +0000 The city's former No2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan did not show up on Wednesday for a hearing on an appeal against his multimillion-dollar bribery conviction. It is understood the ex-chief secretary wrote to the Court of Appeal seeking exemption from attending the directions hearing - part of preparations for his appeal to be heard in November - and the court accepted. It was not clear why Hui, currently serving a 7½-year jail sentence at Stanley Prison, shied away from the session. Billionaire... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846849/disgraced-former-hong-kong-no-2-official-rafael-hui-no-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1846849/disgraced-former-hong-kong-no-2-official-rafael-hui-no-show?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2015 15:25:37 +0000 Disgraced former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan  lodged an appeal yesterday against his five convictions in the city’s highest-profile graft case, less than a month into his 7½-year term in Stanley Prison. The 66-year-old challenged the jury’s decisions that he pocketed a total of HK$19.682 million in bribes and inducements in 2005 and 2007 and committed misconduct in public office. Two other offenders, tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong  and his aide, Thomas Chan Kui-yuen,  had filed appeals... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1679874/jailed-former-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-lodges-appeal-after-bribery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1679874/jailed-former-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-lodges-appeal-after-bribery?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2015 04:58:48 +0000 Cold turkey was on the menu for Hong Kong's biggest-ever corruption catch - Rafael Hui Si-yan - as he spent Christmas with recovering drug addicts in the hospital wing of the jail during his first week behind bars. Former government No 2 Hui - the most senior city official ever jailed for corruption and a man more accustomed to the finer things in life - has endured a miserable introduction to incarceration, according to sources close both to him and the Correctional Services Department. The man... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1669494/rafael-hui-spent-christmas-among-drug-addicts-jail-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1669494/rafael-hui-spent-christmas-among-drug-addicts-jail-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2014 17:03:23 +0000 Disgraced former top government official Rafael Hui Si-yan and fallen property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong began serving true prison time yesterday as details of their first week behind bars emerged. The pair, who were sentenced to prison last week with their two co-accused for their part in Hong Kong's biggest-ever corruption case, left Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre - an institution for remand inmates and those awaiting sentence - for maximum security Stanley Prison in a Correctional... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1669497/rafael-hui-thomas-kwok-enter-hong-kongs-stanley-prison-long-haul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1669497/rafael-hui-thomas-kwok-enter-hong-kongs-stanley-prison-long-haul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2014 17:03:23 +0000 The convictions of Rafael Hui Si-yan and Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong have improved the image of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, in the aftermath of the embarrassments over its former director, Timothy Tong Hin-ming. The public has seen as proven what it long believed - that there was collusion between property tycoons and officials. Even without convictions, the trial showed up enough evidence of unhealthy relationships and luxury lifestyles among those supposedly serving the public,... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1668430/rafael-hui-trial-leaves-nagging-questions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1668430/rafael-hui-trial-leaves-nagging-questions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2014 16:30:00 +0000 Hong Kong has finally caught its own tigers. The ICAC has often been accused of going after the small fry. But Rafael Hui Si-yan, the government's former No 2, and property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong are as big as they come. The beleaguered Independent Commission Against Corruption has had to weather scandals and mounting political pressure in recent years. The conviction of Hui, Kwok and two other associates - and the substantial jail terms handed down yesterday - are a well-deserved... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1668503/hong-kong-anti-corruption-agency-finally-gets-its-tigers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1668503/hong-kong-anti-corruption-agency-finally-gets-its-tigers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2014 23:23:08 +0000 Disgraced Rafael Hui Si-yan, who was "blinded by the desire to sustain the high life", was yesterday jailed for 7½ years, becoming the highest-ranking former Hong Kong official ever to be locked up. Property billionaire Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong was sentenced to spend the next five years in a cell, as a key chapter closed in the biggest graft trial in the city's history. The High Court's landmark ruling sends a clear warning against business-government corruption in today's Hong Kong. "Like all... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1668566/blinded-desire-high-life-hui-jailed-712-years-kwok-sentenced-five?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1668566/blinded-desire-high-life-hui-jailed-712-years-kwok-sentenced-five?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2014 20:04:39 +0000 Our civil service has a well-deserved reputation for being clean and law-abiding. Thanks to the efforts of the anti-bribery watchdog and detailed guidelines on staff conduct and integrity, the 160,000-strong team has been largely corruption-free for decades. But no matter how comprehensive the institutional safeguards, there are always those who think they are smarter than the system. The Rafael Hui Si-yan case is a good reminder that a clean government cannot be taken for granted. Nicknamed the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1668056/rafael-hui-graft-case-shows-need-vigilance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1668056/rafael-hui-graft-case-shows-need-vigilance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2014 22:56:57 +0000 The sensational corruption trial of former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan may be wrapping up, but it leaves in its wake the troubling question of uncomfortably close ties between government and business. Critics have described such relationships as “collusion”. In the immediate aftermath of Hui’s arrest in 2012, government administrators defended the system, insisting enough checks were in place to prevent any financial or ethical conflict of interest. They have been conspicuously silent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1668132/rafael-hui-graft-scandal-highlights-need-more-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1668132/rafael-hui-graft-scandal-highlights-need-more-government?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:27:09 +0000 In a last-ditch effort to save Rafael Hui Si-yan from a harsh sentence, former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen yesterday extolled the "humongous contributions" of his one-time chief secretary who pocketed almost HK$20 million in bribes during his public service. Tsang, who is himself a subject of corruption investigations, is among an array of big names from political, commercial, academic and religious circles pleading for leniency on behalf of two prominent figures convicted in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667706/rafael-hui-thomas-kwok-face-7-years-prison-each-graft-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667706/rafael-hui-thomas-kwok-face-7-years-prison-each-graft-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2014 03:15:15 +0000 The mistress of Rafael Hui Si-yan received so much cash from her former lover that she was embarrassed to take more from him, according to a magazine report in which she confirmed the secret affair with the disgraced former chief secretary. Former Dragonair flight attendant Eline Shen told East Week that she had been shocked to learn Hui had been convicted of graft and misconduct, and feared gifts he had given her - including a Shanghai flat and an Audi car - would be confiscated following... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667488/rafael-huis-mistress-fears-expensive-gifts-he-gave-her-will-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667488/rafael-huis-mistress-fears-expensive-gifts-he-gave-her-will-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2014 07:15:32 +0000 It is the most anticipated date on the calendar for the inner circle at Sun Hung Kai Properties. But executives of the property giant - and a sprinkling of corporate heavyweights and industry watchers - are still guessing when the 85th birthday of the Kwok family's matriarch, Kwong Siu-hing, will be celebrated. "Every year, we were informed of the date of the party in November and the party would usually be held this month," an SHKP executive said on condition of anonymity. "But so far we have... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667458/kwok-brothers-corruption-case-overshadows-birthday-plans-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667458/kwok-brothers-corruption-case-overshadows-birthday-plans-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2014 20:30:00 +0000 A shared interest in horse racing brought together the well-known owner of one of the world's top luxurious Japanese-themed nightclubs and the man who was to become the government's No 2 official. It surprised many in the High Court when Law Cheuk, "godfather of nightclubs", was said to have given Rafael Hui Si-yan HK$3 million in June 2005 for rent payments, just 10 days before Hui became chief secretary. "Both Law and Hui are very devoted to horse racing," said Apollo Ng Shung, president of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667457/rafael-huis-links-godfather-nightclubs-likely-formed-racetrack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667457/rafael-huis-links-godfather-nightclubs-likely-formed-racetrack?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2014 20:26:01 +0000 The wife of Rafael Hui Si-yan yesterday broke her silence for the first time since his graft trial started, as the chief secretary turned criminal endured his first night behind bars with a dinner that "tasted like hospital food" and a draughty room. Appearing calm and modest, Teresa Lo Mei-mei said her disgraced husband, 66, would "certainly appeal" against his five convictions of bribery and misconduct in public office, possibly with the help of legal aid. Despite having a free-spending... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667466/hong-kongs-disgraced-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-may-need-legal-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1667466/hong-kongs-disgraced-chief-secretary-rafael-hui-may-need-legal-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2014 20:00:30 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1665522/timeline-eight-month-saga-hong-kong-biggest-corruption-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1665522/timeline-eight-month-saga-hong-kong-biggest-corruption-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2014 10:30:45 +0000 Sun Hung Kai Properties, the biggest property developer in Hong Kong in terms of market value, announced a management reshuffle last night after its co-chairman Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong and executive director Thomas Chan Kui-yuen were found guilty of bribery yesterday afternoon. Both Kwok and Chan resigned with immediate effect while Thomas Kwok's 31-year old son Adam Kwok Kai-fai was appointed an executive director, the company said in a statement to the stock exchange last night. Thomas Kwok and... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1665533/shkp-reshuffle-likely-after-conviction-thomas-kwok-during-rafael?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1665533/shkp-reshuffle-likely-after-conviction-thomas-kwok-during-rafael?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2014 09:45:45 +0000 Hong Kong's former No 2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan and property tycoon Thomas Kwok Ping-kwong spent their first night behind bars after they were convicted of corruption yesterday in a marathon trial that gave a rare glimpse into collusion between the political elite and big business. Kwok's younger brother, Raymond Kwok Ping-luen, was acquitted of all his four charges. He now takes sole charge of Sun Hung Kai Properties, the city's biggest property developer by market value, as its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1665519/rafael-hui-and-thomas-kwok-found-guilty-bribery-hong-kongs-biggest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1665519/rafael-hui-and-thomas-kwok-found-guilty-bribery-hong-kongs-biggest?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2014 08:45:45 +0000