Former opposition lawmaker Albert Ho remanded in custody after arrest by Hong Kong national security police on suspicion of perverting course of justice
- The 71-year-old former Democratic Party chairman is accused of interfering with a family member of a suspect in largest national security prosecution
- Ho was granted bail last August while facing a charge of inciting subversion
A former opposition lawmaker arrested in Hong Kong by national security police for allegedly perverting the course of justice has been remanded in custody by a magistrate who held that he had violated his bail conditions ahead of a subversion trial.
West Kowloon Court on Wednesday revoked the bail previously granted to Albert Ho Chun-yan after prosecutors argued he had interfered with witnesses in a separate national security case.
Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, who was approved by the city’s leader to hear the prosecution’s complaint, ruled that one of nine bail conditions imposed on the 71-year-old had been or was very likely to have been breached.
“Based on this, the court revokes your bail and you are remanded in custody,” he told the court after an hour of submissions from the bar table.
Ho waved to dozens of supporters in the public gallery before he was taken away by prison officers. He can renew his bail application at the High Court.
The former politician is accused of interfering with a family member of a suspect detained in connection with the city’s largest national security prosecution.