FORMER senior Customs officer Henfrey Tin Sau-kwong was yesterday charged with conspiring to murder a Crown witness who was expected to testify against him over an alleged $8.5 billion cigarette smuggling racket.
Tin, 43, had been charged in connection with the murder in Singapore of Tommy Chui To-yan, but this was the first time he had been accused of plotting to have him killed.
The new charge alleges that Tin conspired with at least five men to murder Chui, 38, between August 1 last year and April 1 this year.
He had been charged previously with conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice by preventing Chui testifying against him, businessman Chong Tsoi-jun, 49, and former Customs officer Yeung Kam-fai, 43.
Tin appeared at Eastern Court yesterday for a preliminary hearing in relation to the earlier allegation.
But only minutes after he was brought to the dock, he was read the additional charge accusing him of involvement in the murder plot.
The other alleged conspirators named on the charge are Johnny Cheung Wai-ming, who is being detained in Beijing, and Cheng Hing, Wong Kwong-kai, Cheng Wui-yiu and Lee Yiu-man, all of whom remain at large.