Thomas Kwok (郭炳江) and Raymond Kwok (郭炳聯), the billionaire co-chairmen of Sun Hung Kai Properties, and Rafael Hui (許仕仁), Hong Kong’s former No. 2 public official, were charged yesterday in a bribery investigation surrounding Asia’s largest developer.
The Sun Hung Kai probe, Hong Kong’s biggest corruption case since its anti-graft agency was formed nearly 40 years ago, involves one of Asia’s most powerful families and the world’s second-largest property company, with a market capitalization of US$32 billion.
The charges come amid other investigations of government officials and a turbulent political transition that has set off waves of protests from citizens angry about a host of issues including cronyism and cozy ties between government officials and the city’s tycoons.
Yesterday’s charges came a day after the anti-graft agency arrested Hong Kong’s development secretary on suspicion of corruption, dealing a fresh blow to the territory’s new leader, Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英).
Two others have also been charged in the Sun Hung Kai case. Thomas Chan (陳鉅源), the Sun Hung Kai board member in charge of land purchases, and Francis Kwan (關雄生), a former banker, were charged by the territory’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Kwan is a friend of Hui’s, sources said, and a former chief operation officer of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange.
A total of eight charges were filed against the five men, including conspiracy to offer advantages to a public servant and misconduct in public office.
Hui, Thomas and Raymond Kwok and Thomas Chan all appeared at a Hong Kong court to hear formal charges yesterday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear if Francis Kwan appeared.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
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A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number