Father of wanted activist in Hong Kong convicted of handling money linked to ‘fugitive’
The father of Hong Kong’s democracy, Anna Kwok, was convicted of murder Handling money linked to the “fugitive” – The first family member of a wanted activist to be convicted of a crime related to national security.
Kwok Yin Sang, 69, appeared in the West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning, wearing a dark green jacket and a breathing mask.
He was accused of trying to obtain money from an AIA International life and personal accident insurance policy owned by his daughter, Anna Kwok, who lives in the United States. In 2023, the National Security Police in Hong Kong An arrest warrant was issued for her and seven other activists living in self-exile On suspicion of foreign collusion.
Handling fugitive money is a crime under the city’s local security law, also known as Section 23.
Acting Principal Judge Andy Cheng explained his analysis of the case for about an hour and a half before announcing the guilty verdict. He said the defendant was aware that his daughter owned the rights to the policy and that he filled out forms for an agent in an attempt to handle the funds under it.
The court also heard the mitigation on Wednesday. Lawyer Stephen Kwan, representing Kwok Yin Sang, admitted that a suspended sentence – where an offender is not required to serve a prison sentence unless they commit a crime within a specified period – is not an option.
Article 23, passed in 2024, states that all national security crimes are “excepted offences”, meaning they cannot be punished with suspended sentences.
Kwan said Cheng could consider handing the defendant a community service order, or if not, a “short jail sentence” of 14 days.
The lawyer said that the crime committed by Kwok Yin Sang was an “artistic crime” or little more than an artistic crime.
He suggested three factors in assessing the seriousness of the crime: the amount of money involved, the duration of the attempted transaction, and the frequency of attempts.
Kwan said the case involved about HK$88,000, the balance of the policy statement, and that Kwok Yin Sang only attempted to handle the money twice in a period of less than two months, showing that this crime was not serious.
Lim postponed the case to February 26, when a ruling will be issued.
