TNAG-0553-FCO40-648-Allegations-of-corruption-and-bribery-in-Hong-Kong-police-an-1975 — Page 35

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Hiit 233

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

22 December 1975

Ли. Ташній

Du 23/12

You wrote to me on 25 November enclosing a letter which you had received from Mr Pun Ting Chau complaining about corruption in the Hong Kong judiciary.

Mr Pun is, in fact, well-known to this Office, over 40 copies of his letter having already been sent on by other Govern- ment Departments, MPs and others. His complaints have been fully investigated in Hong Kong. The background to this case is as follows. Mr Pun's original complaint was of police involvement in a swindle in which he allegedly lost HK $279,000. However, he refused to be interviewed by any police officers so the investigation both by the CID and the old Anti-Corruption Office had to be abandoned in December 1973. In May 1974, following representations by Mr Pun to the newly formed Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC) he was interviewed by one of their officers. Subsequently a joint CID/ICAC investigation was launched which resulted in the arrest and successful prose- cution of 3 out of the 5 principals in the alleged swindle. Each was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment and an order was made that each should pay to Mr Pun HK $76,000 in restitution.

Mr Pun's recent letter enclosing an "open appeal for justice" which has been widely circulated (over 40 copies have already been forwarded to the FCO), arises from the fact that all three defendants made successful appeals against the convinction on 8 September 1975. Mr Pun now accuses and

the members of the Full Court who upheld the appeal, of a corrupt conspiracy with the perpetrators of the swindle. In view of this allegation Mr Pun was interviewed at some length by the ICAC. He then said that he had no first-hand evidence to support his allegations which, he stated, were "based on a belief taking into consideration all the circumstances".

A body consisting of prominent members of the local community and senior government officials and known as the Operations Target Committee considered a report on the investigations into Mr Pun's complaints on 30 October 1975. The Committee considered Mr Pun's allegations and have advised that the possibility of prosecuting -

Lady Falkender,

10 Downing Street,

/

Mr Pun

SW 1.