Alvin Chau (left) presenting a cheque to the Macau Grand Prix organizers
A fund set up to support seven police officers convicted of assaulting an Occupy Central protester has rejected three donations totaling HKD2.5 million, including one allegedly from Macau-based junket owner and entertainment tycoon Alvin Chau.
On the weekend, 16 individuals from the entertainment industry in the two SARs donated a sum of HKD7,777,777 to the fund, however it quickly emerged that some donors had dubious backgrounds of criminal and gang connections.
It was speculated that Sun Entertainment Culture boss Alvin Chau made a donation amounting to around HKD1 million. Meanwhile, the other controversial HKD1.5 million donation may have originated from Charles Heung of China Star Entertainment Group and Albert Yeung of Emperor Entertainment Group.
The controversy, which was extensively covered by Hong Kong’s The Standard, prompted police authorities, legislators and the anti-corruption bureau in the neighboring SAR to recommend that the three questionable donations be rejected.
Hong Kong legislator Lam Cheuk Ting, who belongs to the pan-democrat bloc and was formerly the territory’s anti-corruption chief investigator, initially criticized the donations and recommended that Hong Kong’s Commission Against Corruption be consulted on the matter.
Later, founding chairwoman for the Junior Police Officers’ Association, Maria Tam, informed The Standard that the donations were rejected to avoid controversy after the dubious background of some of the donors came to light.
This revelation prompted lawmakers Lam and Ho Kwan Yiu to commend the fund’s decision, with the latter describing it as a “prudent” approach and commenting that transparency by the fundraiser was highly desirable.
The fund apologized to the controversial donors for the decision in a statement, but did not identify them. Tam also said that, even without those donations, the fund has thus far raised around HKD20 million.
The fund was established for seven policemen who face charges after assaulting an Occupy Central protester in 2014, named Ken Tsang. They have been each sentenced to two years for the assault but are now appealing the ruling. DB
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