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HK jewelry tycoon faces more charges
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-24 14:46
Top managerial staffs of publicly listed Tse Sui Luen Jewelry (International)
Ltd. (TSL) were up against more charges on Friday as a Hong Kong court resumed
trials over the five defendants after their last month's bail.
The defendants, including TSL's ex-chairman Tse Sui Luen and chairman Tommy
Tse Tat-fung and other TSL senior managing personnel, were accused by the Hong
Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), for their respective
roles in alleged conspiracies to offer advantages and tax fraud from 1996 to
2005.
The jewelry tycoon family faced more new charges like stealing the company's
assets in Eastern Magistracy's Friday trial, bring a total 21 accused crimes
against the defendants.
The defendants had been released on ICAC bails varying from HK$20, 000 to
HK$200,000 (US$2,600 to US$26,000), pending their court appearances in
April.
One of the defendants, a travel service director, was absent from the trials
but his lawyer showed a doctor's notifications saying that the defendant had
symptoms of mania and suicide signs thus it was unfit for him to appear in
court.
The judges of the Eastern Magistracy said a warrant of arrestment would be
issued if the defendant still absented from trials.
According to the ICAC, the defendants previously faced four charges -- three
of conspiracy to offer advantages to agents, and one of conspiracy to cheat the
government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
One of the bribery charges alleges that Tse Sui-luen had, between February
and August 1996, conspired with other persons to offer commissions to travel
agents who would arrange tour groups to patronize the showrooms of TSL, as
rewards for such agents showing or having shown favor to TSL in relation to
their principals' affairs or business.
The remaining charge alleges the jewelry tycoon Tse Sui-luen and two other
persons had, with intent to defraud, cheated the HKSAR government of profits tax
between March 1999 and May 2003.
The defendants were arrested by the ICAC during a corruption inquiry last
year.
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