TNAG-0682-FCO40-831-Political-aspects-of-administration-of-justice-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 78

None of these witnesses gave any direct evidence against Cunningham or Thompson, in that they had no personal contact with either of the defendants. However, some of these men gave evidence that from the corrupt receipts of the organisation and at the direction of their Police employers, they purchased sterling drafts and they could identify their signatures on the applications

for these drafts.

Their evidence related mainly to the period during which Cunningham and Thompson were in the Division showing that the organisation

and the vice-establishments it protected continued to operate as it did

before Cunningham & Thompson's arrival and indeed after they had left. It

was also in evidence that the responsibility for major vice-raids was that

of the Superintendent of the Division and to a lesser extent: his Assistant.

There were a number of "collectors" who gave evidence that they

collected monies from various stalls within the Police Division of Shaukiwan

and North Point. These stalls were the gambling stalls or divans. They

also gave evidence that they were collecting on behalf of various police

officers and passed the monies on to either people at a sort of headquarters for the group or paid the monies directly into bank accounts opened at the

direction of some Police Officers.

Amongst these people were the following:-

CHAN Cheong-wing who said that he had been unemployed and so was

asked to, and did, collect "squeeze money" from both gambling stalls and

opium divans within the Division. He, having collected the money, would take

it to a flat in the Hung Fook Building, the headquarter of the group, and,

on occasions, he was present when the money was taken from there to the

Hang Seng Bank. He gave evidence that he usually gave money to either Yin Chai or Kong Chi, and Lam Yue Fan. His evidence was that occasionally he

would bank the money himself or go with Yin Chai to the bank when the money

was banked and he estimated the money collected as between $340,000 and $350,000

a month. He did not withdraw money from the bank, but was present when money

was withdrawn. He resided at the flat in the Hung Fook Building as did some

of the others, and from time to time received telephone calls and would then

ring the various gambling stalls and warn them that the Superintendent of

Division was going to inspect the area and that they were to take evasive

action. He would also warn illegal off-course betting stalls operating in

the Division.