Hong Kong national security police ex-deputy, found in raid on vice premises, may appear in court for trial of alleged operators
- Senior Assistant Commissioner Frederic Choi was cleared of misconduct, but stripped from his post and faces a civil disciplinary hearing
- He can, however, choose not to testify in suspects’ case as under ordinance, a judge cannot compel a defence witness to give evidence
A man accused of being the owner of the unlicensed Viet Spa in Wan Chai, and three women who allegedly worked there, denied a total of six counts when their case was heard for the second time in Eastern Court on Wednesday.
A lawyer for two of the accused said after the hearing that the defence was prepared to call Senior Assistant Commissioner Frederic Choi Chin-pang to the witness box in relation to his visit to the massage parlour in Senior Building on Johnston Road on March 19, when police raided the facility and made arrests.
The court was told Choi was not among the 10 witnesses the prosecution intended to call in the trial. Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei set a pretrial hearing on October 21 for parties to confirm the number of witnesses involved.
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Hong Kong police investigate top national security officer caught in massage parlour raid
Under the Magistrates’ Ordinance, a judge can compel a prosecution witness to testify in court, but not a defence witness, meaning Choi can refuse to give evidence for the accused.
The four defendants are Wu Ping-hung, 61, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, 34, and masseuses Li Yiqing and Zhang Mingfang, aged 36 and 35, respectively.
Wu was charged with keeping a vice establishment and operating an unlicensed massage establishment.
Nguyen and Zhang were each charged with a count of managing a vice establishment. Nguyen and Li face a separate joint count of managing a vice establishment, and another joint count of managing an unlicensed massage establishment.
Operators of unlicensed massage parlours face six months behind bars and a HK$50,000 (US$6,400) fine, although buying services on such premises is legal.
Anyone who operates or manages a vice establishment can face up to three years in prison if the case is heard in the magistrates’ court.
