Prosecutor, lawyer among four suspects in alleged bribery case

An assistant prosecutor general and a lawyer are among four suspects recently accused of bribery, the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) has announced.

The MP did not disclose when the four suspects were charged.

In a statement, the MP said that a lawsuit had been filed against the four suspects. The case is now under the judicial authority of the Court of Second Instance (TSI), the MP added.

According to the MP, the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) have completed an investigation and has issued a report. The investigation concerned an assistant prosecutor general surnamed Kong. In response, the MP initiated his own investigation on the matter.

Kong, the MP said, was on unpaid leave during the investigation. All suspects are currently in custody.

The MP’s investigations revealed that Kong had formed a criminal group with a lawyer surnamed Kuan, as well as two other people surnamed Choi and Ng. The MP alleged that Kong was accepting bribes in exchange for obstructing justice.

Charges of passive corruption for an illegal act, personal favoritism carried out by a public service employee, abuse of power, violation of judicial secrecy and malfeasance were pressed against Kong, the MP noted.

The MP’s statement did not mention the full name of the prosecutor.

On the MP’s website, it is noted that Assistant Prosecutor General Kong Chi has been on unpaid leave since Feb. 7, 2022. Kong’s unpaid leave was set to last two years and end on Feb. 6, 2024.

The latest list of prosecutors on the MP website shows no other prosecutor with the same surname, as of yesterday.

In the statement, the MP emphasized that justice would be sought for this case, in which a prosecutor conducted themselves in a way that damages the reputation of the Special Administrative Region and the judiciary.