HK tycoon bros plead not guilty to graft

The pleas entered by Thomas and Raymond Kwok all but ensure their case will head to trial in the city's High Court.

The brothers are joint chairmen of Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., one of Hong Kong's biggest developers. Forbes estimates they are the third richest people in Hong Kong, with a combined net worth of US$20 billion.

Anti-corruption police arrested and charged the Kwoks last year, along with three others. Prosecutors allege that the prominent developers gave bribes in exchange for lucrative information on pending land sales. But they slightly revised the charges, dropping the bribery charge against Raymond Kwok. The brothers still face charges of misconduct and providing false information.

The three other defendants also pleaded not guilty to a slightly revised set of charges. They include Rafael Hui, formerly the second highest ranking government official; a former senior officer at stock exchange operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing; and an executive director at Sun Hung Kai.

Hui is alleged to have provided land sale information to the Kwoks between 2005 and 2007

The corruption scandal shocked the southern Chinese financial center, where residents have traditionally revered the city's tycoons. But widening inequality, much of it linked to skyrocketing housing costs in the densely populated city, means that has given way in recent years to public anger.

SHARE CLOSE
Blogger		Google+
Live Journal		Plurk
Stumble Upon

Tweet

	PREVIOUS ARTICLE
	China's wine consumption slows: study

NEXT ARTICLE
Denied passport, Tibet poet unable to receive US award

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email

Submit