Company director extradited from US to face bribery and money laundering trial
2014-6-19
A director of a property development company, who was wanted by the ICAC for allegedly offering bribes to a bank officer and laundering crime proceeds, has been extradited from the United States (US) to Hong Kong to face trial.
Zeng Wei, 51, a major shareholder-cum-director of United Win Holdings Limited, was arrested on January 27 this year by officers of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement pursuant to a request for provision al arrest issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Hong Kong.
Zeng later waived his right for the extradition proceedings in the US and agreed to surrender himself to Hong Kong voluntarily.
With the assistance of the US authorities, two ICAC officers escorted Zeng on board a flight from the US to Hong Kong, arriving in Hong Kong this (Thursday) morning. Zeng will be brought to the District Court this afternoon.
On January 16 this year, the HSI informed the ICAC that a person in the name of Liu Zhiqian was arrested in Saipan for immigration related offences when he attempted to enter the US territory.
The US authorities later confirmed that the arrested person was in fact Zeng. Upon the ICAC’s request, the DoJ in Hong Kong made an application to the US for surrender of Zeng under the Agreement between the Government of Hong Kong and the Government of the United States of America for the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders.
The ICAC thanked the US Department of Justice, the US Marshals Service, the Saipan and Hong Kong offices of the HSI and the US Customs and Border Protection for rendering valuable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Zeng.
Zeng was charged by the ICAC on October 7, 2010 with various offences, including offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and conspiracy to deal with property known or reasonably believed to re present proceeds of an indictable offence, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance.
After Zeng failed to turn up in the District Court on July 4, 2011 for trial, the court issued a warrant for his arrest on the same day. On August 24, 2011, the court also ordered that Zeng’s bail money of $800,000 be estreated.
On October 21, 2011, Zeng was placed on the Interpol Red Notice for his apprehension.
One of the bribery charges alleged that on October 5, 2010, Zeng offered $2.3 million to Derick Chan Po-fui, former Head of Corporate Banking Department of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited (ICBC (Asia)), as a reward for assisting in extending the repayment due dates of the loans owed by Zeng and/or his companies to ICBC (Asia).
Zeng was also accused of having conspired together with Derick Chan to deal with the $2.3 million on the same day, knowing that it represented the proceeds of an indictable offence.
Another bribery charge alleged that on September 25, 2008, Zeng offered a mobile phone to Derick Chan for the same purpose.
Zeng Wei, 51, a major shareholder-cum-director of United Win Holdings Limited, was arrested on January 27 this year by officers of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement pursuant to a request for provision al arrest issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Hong Kong.
Zeng later waived his right for the extradition proceedings in the US and agreed to surrender himself to Hong Kong voluntarily.
With the assistance of the US authorities, two ICAC officers escorted Zeng on board a flight from the US to Hong Kong, arriving in Hong Kong this (Thursday) morning. Zeng will be brought to the District Court this afternoon.
On January 16 this year, the HSI informed the ICAC that a person in the name of Liu Zhiqian was arrested in Saipan for immigration related offences when he attempted to enter the US territory.
The US authorities later confirmed that the arrested person was in fact Zeng. Upon the ICAC’s request, the DoJ in Hong Kong made an application to the US for surrender of Zeng under the Agreement between the Government of Hong Kong and the Government of the United States of America for the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders.
The ICAC thanked the US Department of Justice, the US Marshals Service, the Saipan and Hong Kong offices of the HSI and the US Customs and Border Protection for rendering valuable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Zeng.
Zeng was charged by the ICAC on October 7, 2010 with various offences, including offering an advantage to an agent, contrary to Section 9(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance; and conspiracy to deal with property known or reasonably believed to re present proceeds of an indictable offence, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance.
After Zeng failed to turn up in the District Court on July 4, 2011 for trial, the court issued a warrant for his arrest on the same day. On August 24, 2011, the court also ordered that Zeng’s bail money of $800,000 be estreated.
On October 21, 2011, Zeng was placed on the Interpol Red Notice for his apprehension.
One of the bribery charges alleged that on October 5, 2010, Zeng offered $2.3 million to Derick Chan Po-fui, former Head of Corporate Banking Department of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited (ICBC (Asia)), as a reward for assisting in extending the repayment due dates of the loans owed by Zeng and/or his companies to ICBC (Asia).
Zeng was also accused of having conspired together with Derick Chan to deal with the $2.3 million on the same day, knowing that it represented the proceeds of an indictable offence.
Another bribery charge alleged that on September 25, 2008, Zeng offered a mobile phone to Derick Chan for the same purpose.