Lily Chiang fails in final appeal bid against conviction in HK$3 million scam
Businesswoman jailed for HK$3m scam tells of her anger after plea for appeal dismissed
Businesswoman Lily Chiang Lai-lei vented her frustration yesterday after judges denied her plea to appeal to the top court against a conviction over a HK$3 million share-option scam for which she was jailed for 3-1/2 years.
In the Court of Final Appeal yesterday, Chiang's lawyers failed to argue that her caseinvolved substantial and grave injustice and warranted a chance of appeal.
Chiang, the daughter of industrialist Chiang Chen and the first woman to chair the General Chamber of Commerce, was jailed in June 2011 for fraud, conspiracy to defraud and authorising a prospectus that included an untrue statement.
The 52-year-old, who was released on parole in March last year after spending 21 months in jail, did not respond to questions from the media outside court. But in a statement distributed by her lawyers, she said she felt "sad, angry and helpless" with the top court's decision.
"To cover up a mistake, the courts would not hesitate to make a greater mistake," she wrote.
"I had strongly believed that Hong Kong's judicial system was fair and just. That was why even in the most difficult days, I still held this belief," she added.
"That was the reason I went on to lodge the appeal even after I served the jail term, hoping I could eventually have my name cleared." Chiang said she was now completely disappointed with the inherent injustice in Hong Kong's judicial system, which, she added, she had discovered at huge personal cost.
