TNAG-0682-FCO40-831-Political-aspects-of-administration-of-justice-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 91

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operating from the sec office, rented for that purpose, and wore collecting the bribe n ny as "protection" money on a systematic and wide-spread basis over the porio of the conspiracy charged.

The evidence of various witnesses of this type covered the whole period of the conspiracy indicating that the money collected from the various vice establishments amounted to between $320,000 and $340,000 per month which a ney passed to the hands of successive persons whow I shall cell mengers", for want of a better phrase, et a flat in Huny Fook Building in Kan Ping Street and which was subsequently paid into two bank accounts. Followers of the three Successive station surgeants introduced their own respective successors to the establicimcats from which money was collected, one of these persons being CHEN:Chouk-fun who became something in the nature of tho accountant and cashier of the operations of the conspiracy and who frequently purchased sterling bank drafts to send to England on behalf of the first appellant. It was Cheng's evidence that between the beginning of June 1972 and the end of February 1973 he opened and closed a total of seven savings bank accounts all with the same branch of the Hang Seng Bank Limited into which squecze money from vice establishments paie in, and iron which accounts money was either withdrawn or transferred, some of that money being for the purchase of sterling bank drafts for the two udants. ffmellant

The seven accounts were maintained in false ramis and at the end of approximately one month from opering an account, that account was closed by withdrawal of the final credit balance and th: account books destroyed. Copies

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of the bank account entries vere, however, produced in evidence and showed substantial deposits and withdrawals. Despite the fact that HEC Cheuk-fun was an accomplice - a fact which the learned judge well took into account the judge accepted him as telling the truth and said that he had boon voy candid in his disclosures.

The collectors so far from being unaware that no action yes being taken in regard to the illegal activities in respect of which they were continuing to collect money well know, on the evidence, of actuck in 3 wing conveyed to establishm nts which it was dumoć politic to reid for the sake of appearances.

All this evidence indicates, as the learned judge commented, a link-up between the prmers and operators of the various vice establishments, the collectors, the three station sergents and the two appellants.