Hong Kong: Court rejects "entrapment" mitigation in laundering case
Hui Wei-chun, 39, unemployed, was jailed for two years and 10 months, and Cheung Kam-lun, 54, merchant, was jailed for two years and nine months in Hong Kong for their parts in laundering schemes. In mitigation, the court rejected a claim that they had been "entrapped" into committing the offence. The court held that the fact that they made offers to launder money for undercover Anti Corruption Commission Officers, and to sell them false identification documents, was incidental - that they would have made the offers to anyone regardless of their job.
Hui pleaded guilty to one count of inciting to deal with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence, one of possessing a forged Hong Kong Identity Card, and one of transferring a forged Hong Kong Identity Card.
Cheung was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to deal with property known or believed to be proceeds of an indictable offence.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that some bank employees might have accepted advantages for offering assistance in money laundering. ICAC undercover operation uncovered the above offences. The court heard that in January 2001, Hui told an ICAC informer that he knew a bank officer who could assist in money laundering. On separate occasions, Hui and Cheung suggested to two ICAC undercover officers that they could assist in laundering several million US dollars through a casino and an entertainment company in Macau. The defendants also told the undercover officers that they would charge a commission of 12 to 13 per cent of the money laundered.
On May 31, 2001, Cheung was arrested by Anti Corruption officers while attempting to launder US$15,000 at a bank. Hui was also arrested for his role in the scheme. The court also heard that Hui had sold another undercover officer a forged Hong Kong Identity Card for HKD9,000, and possessed another forged Hong Kong Identity Card.
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