More witnesses unaware of MP office’s existence

The Court of Final Appeal (TUI) yesterday continued the trial of the city’s former top prosecutor, Ho Chio Meng. The prosecution called four witnesses, most of whom are current employees at the Prosecution Office (MP) who also worked there when Ho still held the leadership position.

A few of them used to work at the MP offices in the Hotline Center on the 16th floor, while others were personnel of MP’s Finance Department and Support Department.

A witness, surnamed Wu, who is currently a legal affairs consultant at the Office of the Prosecutor General, answered questions by prosecutor Kuok Un Man regarding the Hotline Center MP office and some key elements of Ho’s trial, including Wong Kuok Wai, Lei Kun Pun, Mak Im Tai, among others.

According to Wu, he used to work at the Hotline Center MP office (in one of the two sides located at the 16th floor) but never knew that the entire floor was being rented by MP, and claimed to have never been to the other side of that floor.

Wu noted that the two sides of the floor were not connected, and that the other side had no directory.

“I didn’t know what the opposite side was,” said Wu, adding that no one had ever told him what it was. Wu claimed to have also never known of the existence of the “teacher’s resting room.”

Prosecutor Kuok then showed several images to Wu, who claimed to have seen Wong Kuok Wai and Ho Chio Meng’s brothers-
in-law.

Wu also saw Lam Hou Un, brother of the former head (Lam I Na) of the Judiciary Assistance Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General, who stands accused of working for shelf companies involved in Ho’s case. Wu explained that he thought Lam Hou Un had worked at the Hotline Center on the 16th floor.

Another witness, surnamed Chan, used to be an assistant commissioner at the Commission Against Corruption and is currently working at MP’s Hotline Center office.

Prosecutor Kuok showed him the same images shown to Wu, although Chan claimed to have never seen those faces at the Hotline Center, except for Wong Kuok Wai. Chan, like Wu, did not know that the MP rented the entire 16th floor, and had never been to the other side of said floor.

Chan revealed that Ho Chio Meng visited Hotline Center to meet him in his office twice, and claimed he had never heard of the teachers’ resting room.

When the morning trial was about to finish, Ho Chio Meng issued a request to add two additional pieces of evidence from another former head of the Judiciary Assistant Department.

First, Ho made a comment regarding one of yesterday’s witnesses, surnamed Chow. “Chow had brain surgery twice, […] you should allow him to talk slowly […] if you talk faster than him, he will have troubles.”

Regarding Chan’s testimony, Ho said, “[He] has a sentence to finish, and he saw me several times [at the Hotline Center]. I saw him several times in the lobby in front of the elevator. I was carrying briefcases and I was speaking Mandarin.”

The trial resumed at 3 p.m. Cheang Hang Chip, former deputy chief of Prosecutor-General’s office, was present for more than three hours in the afternoon to testify.

Cheang said during her testimony that she used to argue with, and report to, her supervisor Lai Kin Ian about several matters. These included MP’s internal payments such as flight tickets and accommodation; information that became pertinent to Ho’s case.

Cheang said she would sometimes deliver all legally required documents to Lai, along with a proposal. However, Lai would not make decisions that aligned with her suggestions.

MP’s current Support Department was a former division of MP until it became a standalone department.

The Support Department optimizes daily operations through utilizing and managing all devices and equipment.

It supports legal proceedings, administrative and finance management, and legal research using up-to-date information technology.

Cheang said that after this division was established, she argued with Lai Kin Ian on several occasions in regard to a few of the department’s affairs.

Back in 2004, Cheang wrote a letter to Ho asking to be excused from participating in the department’s operations. Cheang also suggested that the division arrangements should be Lai’s responsibility.

In court, Cheang read excerpts from her own letter. “The structure and the mode of this division has brought me many problems and concerns.” 

Cheang noted that although the organizers of several international events could have invited MP’s prosecutors to bring their spouses, she did not recall whether Ho Chio Meng’s wife was invited, nor did she know the place of Ho’s wife in regards to Ho’s trip to Europe.

The prosecution presented an invoice showing that the cost of an entrance ticket for a certain event was more than MOP60,000. Cheang said that such an amount was “a little bit exaggerated.”

Cheang also said that she had never handled any issues regarding outward trips of prosecutors’ spouses.

The prosecutors then mentioned several people, who happen to be Ho’s relatives, who had been hired by the MP.

At the end of yesterday afternoon’s trial, Ho said “two [other] prosecutors brought their wives to attend 2013 Russia’s International Association of Prosecutors Conference.”

“If nobody made an invitation, why are you bringing your wife along?”

He claimed he had never strayed from the standard recruitment procedures, even when the applicants were his relatives.

Cheang will be present at tomorrow’s court session to give further testimony.