ICAC charges CIP Ho Siu-tung and his wife for allegedly accepting cash and gifts totaling over HK$1.14 mn

A Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) and his wife were today (Sept. 4) charged by the ICAC for allegedly accepting cash and gifts totaling over HK$1.14 million from a merchant for favoring the latter while performing his official duties.

The CIP was also alleged of misconduct in public office (MIPO) by divulging police internal information to the merchant on various occasions.

Ho Siu-tung, 38, CIP, faces two counts of public servant accepting an advantage, contrary to section 4(2)(a) of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance (POBO), and three counts of MIPO, contrary to the Common Law.

His wife Mishell Ho Yin-veng, 36, housewife, faces one count of aiding, abetting, counseling or procuring a public servant to accept advantages, contrary to section 4(2)(a) of POBO and section 89 of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance.

The duo was released on ICAC bail, pending their appearance at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on Friday (Sept. 6) for mention, pending preparation of documents for transferring the case to the District Court.

At the material time, Ho Siu-tung was a CIP posted to Wanchai District responsible for overseeing criminal investigations conducted by the district anti-triad squad and district crime squad. When handling a deception case, Ho came to know a merchant who was involved in another assault case.

Two of the charges allege that between August 2021 and January 2023, Ho Siu-tung accepted advantages from the merchant, namely cash and gifts totalling over HK$1.14 million, including two cash payments, each amounted to HK$500,000, as well as gifts worth more than HK$140,000, as an inducement to or reward for Ho to remain favorably disposed to the merchant while performing his official duties in relation to the aforementioned two criminal investigations involving the merchant.

Another charge alleges that Mishell Ho Yin-veng aided Ho Siu-tung to accept part of the above advantages, namely gifts worth over HK$130,000, for Ho to remain favorably disposed to the merchant.

The remaining three MIPO charges allege that between September 2021 and October 2022, Ho Siu-tung, in the course of or in relation to his public office, divulged police internal information to the merchant, and remained favorably disposed to the merchant and his friends during police investigations. Such police internal information included personal data of suspects and of other individuals involved in the investigations.

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