TNAG-0550-FCO40-645-Allegations-of-corruption-and-bribery-in-Hong-Kong-police-an-1975 — Page 21

CONFIDENTIAL

REF.

NEX)

REF.

Mr Male

то

Mne

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

Лев

Nek 28/3

the

94)

Flag A

Flag B

Flag

カ

Flag 7

Flag

13

Flag R

ы

MP'S LETTER:

1.

CORRUPTION IN HONG KONG

Mr James Johnson MP (Labour, Kingston-upon-Hull West) wrote to the Secretary of State on 29 January enclosing correspondence from Mrs Elsie Elliott of Hong Kong. This was principally about the case of Mr Chan who had confessed to having been party to a murder in July 1973 when it subsequently emerged that he was in a psychiatric hospital at the material time. Mrs Elliott alleges that his confession was contrived and that the Attorney-General's office has corruptly conspired at the protection of the police officer concerned. Mr Stuart's first submission on this subject is at Flag B; and Lord Goronwy-Roberts's interim reply of 10 February

to Mr Johnson is at Flag C.

2.

Mrs Elliott also raises, in a rather vague way, a wide variety of other issues, but I understand from Mr Stuart's letter of 6 February to the Colonial Secretary that Lord Goronwy-Roberts wishes to confine his reply to the case of Mr Chan. I suggest the best way of doing so is to send Mr Johnson copies of the correspondence published in the Hong Kong press on the matter, in which the Attorney-General sets out the facts about the case as known to the Government and explains that the decision not to prosecute the police officer concerned is based on lack of evidence. As the Attorney- General explains in his letter of 28 February to Mr Stuart,

Mr Chan's claim that he was assaulted and made his confession because

he was afraid is an issue which is "unresolved": and the decision to grant Mr Chan legal aid to pursue a civil case against the police concerned through the courts is clearly right in the circumstances.

3.

On 19 February Mr Johnson again referred to Mrs Elliott's allegations in a supplementary question in Parliament to Mr Hattersley I have taken this opportunity to provide the information Mr Hattersley promised then about possible cases for prosecution which have been dropped on the instructions of the Attorney-General's office.

CONFIDENTIAL

/Certainly