Ho Chio Meng | CCAC accuses MP of paying for trips unrelated to service

The trial of the city’s former top prosecutor, Ho Chio Meng, resumed its proceedings yesterday at the Court of Final Appeal.

Several witnesses from the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) were called to the stand. One of them, a CCAC senior investigator surnamed Cheong, revealed the existence of files, pictures, and videos found by CCAC during its investigation. He provided information related to hotel rooms, plane tickets and other items paid to individuals who had no link to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), most of whom were women.  At the end of the session, Ho spoke to deny that he ever tried to scam the MP.

Cheong’s testimony focused particularly on the Cheoc Van accommodation villa (which was rented by the MP) and on the Hotline Center 16th floor, where Ho allegedly set up a “secret room.”

The testimony process, however, deviated from its previously established course. Instead of prosecutors questioning witnesses, yesterday morning Cheong himself initiated the session by displaying the documents and explaining the content of each of them.

Cheong first revealed CCAC’s files regarding the Cheoc Van Villa, saying that CCAC found a blueprint, in Ho Chio Meng’s house on which “Cheoc Van” was written.

Moreover, four keys were found at the house of Ho’s late father in an envelope that was labelled “Cheoc Van.”

According to Cheong, the CCAC doubted that the keys belonged to the Cheoc Van villa.

He also admitted that he was unable to prove whether the keys belonged to the property in question, as its locks had already been changed.

The MP has alleged that Ho used the Cheoc Van villa to store his personal belongings.

It has been alleged that after he was detained, Ho trusted his wife, Chao Sio Fu, to check on his various belongings collected from the MP.

Ho’s lawyer then pointed out that Chao had never confirmed the existence of any of the aforementioned items

During a second session, the witness testified in relation to four units used for MP offices located at the Hotline Center 16th floor, in particular, ones involving the so-called “Teachers’ Resting Room” (a facility used to host invitees of the MP).

According to the proof presented by the CCAC commissioner, the MP rented two units for the resting room because it needed more offices for work-related matters.

The CCAC also seized receipts from the office of another defendant, Chan Ka Fai, a former department head at the MP. These receipts indicate that one of the alleged shell companies involved in the case purchased daily products, including snacks and towels, for the two units.

All the receipts were paid for by the MP, with some indicating that the two MP rented units used a towel delivery and laundry service.

Cheong then played two videos recorded by the CCTV surveillance cameras located at the 16th floor. The videos show that one Sunday in November of 2014, Ho visited the Hotline Center’s Teachers’ Resting Room.

The videos also show that two of MP’s former employees, Guan Tianwen and Lam I Na, appeared at the 16th floor, and visited the Teachers’ Room while Ho was inside.

Ho’s lawyer, Leong Wen Pun, then pointed out that when Guan got out of the office, he was carrying a file holder.

Leong questioned Cheong if he knew whether Ho and Guan had visited the location while working for the MP.

In response to a question from judge Song Man Lei, Cheong said that in 2014 Ho was recorded visiting the facility around ten times, and that in two of these occurrences he was alone.

Cheong also said that the CCTV recorded several “unknown” people visiting the place as well.

In a third session, Cheong gave testimony on another four units of the MP office located at the 16th floor. Cheong explained that some of these units were rented by the MP, using his documents to evidence this claim.

However, according to Cheong, the units were also used by Wong Kuok Wai (a businessman involved in the opening of alleged shell companies and one of the defendants) who registered it as the address for the shell companies’ phones and mail.

Cheong said that after Ho Chio Meng stepped down from his position, the related shell companies canceled their phone accounts and stopped receiving mail there.

During the remainder of the session, Cheong played more videos, showing other defendants, namely Ho Chio Sin, Lai Kun Pun, and Lam Hou Iam, visiting the alleged shell companies on the 16th floor, pointing out that Lam Hou Iam would visit one of the units during work time.

Cheong pointed out that previous employees of the companies would deliver snacks to the “Teachers’ Resting Room.”

In the afternoon session, Cheong, in another two separate testimonies explained how the CCAC obtained the documents pointing to Ho’s guilt, as well as their investigation into such a possibility.

Cheong also provided documents regarding a trip taken by Ho and a female defendant, Wang Xiandi to North Europe and a trip to Dubai.

Cheong presented documents indicating that the MP paid flights to and accommodation in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai for 18 people who were not MP employees.

Four people accompanied Ho on his trip: former MP employee Zhou Wensheng, his wife Chao, her brother, and Ho’s nephew, Ieong Chon Kit. All four, despite not being MP employees at the time of the northern Europe trip, were still paid by MP. The flight tickets cost around MOP200,000 in total.

Cheong, when answering Leong’s questions, admitted that he never contacted the involved airlines to find out the real prices of the flights.

Cheong noted that some of the people the MP paid flights and accommodation for were around 17 to 18 years of age when they were paid for the first time.

Cheong said that Ho’s border records indicated that he was in the mainland or Macau when these women were flying or staying at the same accommodations in those destinations. 

Cheong also told Leong that he obtained information from China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate regarding the trip to Dubai.

When Cheong finished his testimony, Ho Chio Meng made his statement. He started by saying that MP had always paid for non- MP employees on such trips, before going on to inform the court that the MP paid the Liaison Office flights for a trip to Shanghai.

Ho then said that in regard to a trip from Macau to Beijing for a training course, he paid for his family’s flights.

Ho concluded by saying said that the MP called him to give him the opportunity to claim his personal items which the department had seized from Cheac Van villa, and he asked the MP to wait until the trial is finished.

Presiding Judge Sam Hou Fai, told Ho that he needed to have written a request letter to MP.

The trail will resume tomorrow.

A controversial testimony

The ambiguous testimony of CCAC top investigator Ao Pan San on Friday left many perplexed. TDM reported that Ao said different things when questioned by the MP and by the defense. Accused of presenting suppositions as if they were facts during a PowerPoint presentation, Ao finally admitted that some of the accusations against Ho Chio Meng were based on “probabilities.”