Hong Kong police national security director could still face criminal charges over massage parlour visit, experts say, after file passed to justice department
- Internal investigation cleared Senior Assistant Commissioner and Director of National Security Frederic Choi of illegal or unethical conduct
- But legal experts say Department of Justice could take a different view and point to case of jailed former police senior superintendent Sin Kam-wah
A top officer in Hong Kong police’s National Security Department who was caught in an unlicensed massage parlour could still face criminal charges after a review by the justice department, legal experts have said, despite the force clearing him of any illegal or immoral conduct.
Senior Assistant Commissioner and Director of National Security Frederic Choi Chin-pang, 50, was found during a raid on a Wan Chai flat where massages and illegal sex services were offered.
Six women holding Hong Kong identity cards were arrested in the operation in late March. The suspects were held on suspicion of running a vice establishment.
The anti-triad team tasked with investigating the case has submitted its initial report to the Department of Justice and is waiting for a response before opening a disciplinary hearing on Choi, who remains on leave.
“It is possible the department may take a different view of the matter since prosecutorial decisions are independently made. A critical issue will be what Choi knew in relation to the unlicensed business,” said criminal law specialist Professor Simon Young, associate dean of the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of law.
