HK jewelry tycoon faces more charges
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-24 14:46

Top managerial staffs of publicly listed Tse Sui Luen Jewelry (International) Ltd. (TSL) were up against more charges on Friday as a Hong Kong court resumed trials over the five defendants after their last month's bail.

The defendants, including TSL's ex-chairman Tse Sui Luen and chairman Tommy Tse Tat-fung and other TSL senior managing personnel, were accused by the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), for their respective roles in alleged conspiracies to offer advantages and tax fraud from 1996 to 2005.

The jewelry tycoon family faced more new charges like stealing the company's assets in Eastern Magistracy's Friday trial, bring a total 21 accused crimes against the defendants.

The defendants had been released on ICAC bails varying from HK$20, 000 to HK$200,000 (US$2,600 to US$26,000), pending their court appearances in April.

One of the defendants, a travel service director, was absent from the trials but his lawyer showed a doctor's notifications saying that the defendant had symptoms of mania and suicide signs thus it was unfit for him to appear in court.

The judges of the Eastern Magistracy said a warrant of arrestment would be issued if the defendant still absented from trials.

According to the ICAC, the defendants previously faced four charges -- three of conspiracy to offer advantages to agents, and one of conspiracy to cheat the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

One of the bribery charges alleges that Tse Sui-luen had, between February and August 1996, conspired with other persons to offer commissions to travel agents who would arrange tour groups to patronize the showrooms of TSL, as rewards for such agents showing or having shown favor to TSL in relation to their principals' affairs or business.

The remaining charge alleges the jewelry tycoon Tse Sui-luen and two other persons had, with intent to defraud, cheated the HKSAR government of profits tax between March 1999 and May 2003.

The defendants were arrested by the ICAC during a corruption inquiry last year.