DESKEDT SCM,2001-07-19,1,SCM,3,SECOND EDITION COLOUR BLACK C5 ad1 27x5, The Peninsula (Page 3) - Thu Jul 19 01:01:24 2001 - Job7169776 SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST THURSDAY JULY 19 2001 HONG KONG 3 Top health China helped block fugitive’s cash inspector Documents show Beijing leaned on Turkish-controlled Cyprus to freeze account held by wife of ‘kingpin’ badly hurt Michael Chugani in Seattle Frozen assets in attack China exerted political pressure How Lai Changxing’s money ended up trapped in a northern Cyprus bank Clifford Lo to make a bank in Turkish-con- trolled Cyprus freeze a US$1 mil- US$2million US$1.6 million US$1million lion (HK$7.8 million) account A chief health inspector who led held by the wife of alleged smug- frontline campaigns to shut down gling kingpin Lai Changxing, doc- illegal slaughterhouses was criti- Sale of property Banque Nationale HSBC, Renfrew Security uments obtained by the South cally ill last night after being blud- development in China de Paris, Singapore Vancouver Bank and Trust China Morning Post suggest. geoned by three men. The documents show the off- October 19, 1999: Renfrew Security Bank to Lai’s wife, Tsang Mingna Wong Wai-wan, 46, underwent shore Renfrew Security Bank and brain surgery in Tuen Mun Hos- Trust froze the account on the pital after the attack, which hap- grounds that it may contain laun- pened as he made his way to his dered money from Hong Kong. Yuen Long office. Other documents show the Detectives were investigating funds were transferred to the whether the attack on the Food bank in the Turkish-controlled and Environmental Hygiene De- part of Cyprus from a Vancouver partment official was linked to his HSBC branch. April 4, 2001: Lai’s lawyer to Renfrew duties. It is understood that Lai and They said he was involved in his wife, Tsang Mingna ± whose operations against illegal hawk- mainland and Hong Kong assets ers, slaughterhouses and meat have been seized ± were counting roasting factories. on the US$1 million to finance a Condemning the violence, the legal battle for asylum in Canada. department expressed ``shock, But Renfrew froze the account sorrow and anger'' over the at- soon after the couple's November April 19: Renfrew’s lawyer to Lai’s lawyer tack. Mr Wong has been with the arrest and made clear just weeks environmental hygiene section in before the start of the July 3 asy- Yuen Long since December. lum battle that the money would He was beaten over the head not be made available. with a wooden pole and umbrel- That forced the pair to aban- las near his office in Tai Kiu Mar- don their costly court-approved ket, Kiu Lok Square, by three men house-arrest scheme and to drop at about 8.15am, an investigator their legal team two months ago. said. The documents suggest that May 24: Renfrew to Lai’s lawyer Witnesses said the attackers Turkey ± acting under pressure were wearing caps and fled before from Beijing ± ordered its crimi- police arrived. nal investigation division to look ``We strongly condemn such into Tsang's account. violence and an act that chal- A May 24 letter from Renfrew lenges the law,'' said Rita Lau Ng bank manager Kamran Zaheer to Wai-lan, director of Food and En- Lai's lawyers confirmed that in- Lai Changxing and wife Tsang Mingna (right) had vironmental Hygiene. vestigators acting ``presumable hoped their frozen million-dollar account would pay She said her staff would con- [sic] under the political pressure'' tinue their duties and would nev- for their legal battle for asylum in Canada. AFP and Jeff Vinnick had contacted the bank two days SCMP Graphic er bow to threats or violence. earlier regarding Tsang's account. A spokeswoman said Mr Wong Sources who made the docu- bank had come under mainland cape arrest by the mainland. She asylum battle neared, Renfrew HSBC Vancouver branch man- according to Mr Na's letter. Bei- and colleagues had never re- ments available to the Post said pressure, he said: ``I'm not going later took out two loans of told them the account had been ager W. Y Na wrote to Lai's law- jing accuses Lai of heading a net- ceived threatening calls or warn- Chinese diplomats in Cyprus had to answer that.'' Mr Shefik re- US$100,000 each from the bank frozen. ``The scope and severity of yers in May saying the US$1 mil- work that paid officials to cover ings. leaned on the central bank in the ferred all queries to the bank's against her US$1 million deposit the pending litigation and inter- lion had been wired from his up the smuggling of cars, oil, cig- Mr Wong, who is married with Turkish-controlled part of Cyprus Cyprus officials, who failed to after discovering her investment national inquiries has meant that bank to Renfrew's account with arettes and other goods. In China, two sons and a daughter, joined to pressure Renfrew to freeze the respond. had not matured. It matured last the bank has had to take action of Marine Midland Bank in New at least 84 people have been con- the Government in 1978 as a stu- account. Documents show Tsang put November, just two weeks before a prudent nature so as to protect York. The money was part of victed in the smuggling and brib- dent health inspector. Renfrew's chairman and man- the money in a Renfrew invest- the couple's arrest in Vancouver itself from any possible negli- US$1.6 million (HK$12.5 million) ery case that touched the highest He was promoted to chief aging director, Bumen Shefik, ment account in October 1999 ± on immigration warrants. gence and accusation,'' the Tsang had transferred from echelons of the Communist Party. health inspector in December last who has an office in Vancouver, two months after the couple fled But when Lai's lawyers asked bank's lawyer, Hasan Balman, Banque Nationale de Paris in Sin- Seven have been executed, ac- year when he was transferred to refused to comment. Asked if the Hong Kong for Vancouver to es- for the money in April as the wrote in reply. gapore to HSBC in Vancouver, cording to mainland reports. Yuen Long. Brother claims cadre corruption smuggling activities. Without sands of pages of documents Security, described how he, his Associated Press them closing their eyes in [sic] submitted to the Immigration wife and daughter received in Vancouver our operations, it is impossible and Refugee Board for Lai's money from Lai, who claims to for us to do business. hearing and made available on have US$1 billion of investments Lai Changxing ran his alleged ``So, therefore, corruption Monday. in Hong Kong. multibillion-dollar network with goes side by side with smug- They were provided by Can- Lai previously testified the the help of corrupt mainland of- gling.'' ada's Immigration Ministry, payments were gifts, but Li ficials, his imprisoned brother Lai Changxing, 42, has testi- which is separate from the panel called them bribes. Li is in pris- has revealed in documents pre- fied at the hearing, which began considering Lai's refugee re- on in China after being convict- sented at a Vancouver refugee two weeks ago, that his brother quest, and allege that Lai smug- ed of accepting a bribe. His affi- hearing. and others were forced to make gled cigarettes, cars, cooking oil davit said Lai loaned Li's wife In an affidavit signed in statements against him or did so and electronics into China. The US$200,000 to open a restaurant March from an interview in Bei- because they believed he was documents entered as evidence and loaned Li's daughter jing with Canadian immigration safe in Canada. say Lai's smuggling ring brought US$500,000 while she was living officer Grant Duckworth, the A two-member Immigration goods worth US$5 billion in San Francisco. brother of Lai Changxing, Lai and Refugee Board panel will (HK$38.95 billion) into China, The documents said Lai's Shuiqiang said: ``In Chinese cul- decide if Lai and his family may evading more than US$2 billion Yuan Hua company smuggled ture, it is advantageous to know stay in Canada or must leave the in taxes and duties. 314 containers of cigarettes and 3FSCM government officials if you're in- country. In another affidavit, Li Jizhou, more than 3,500 expensive for- volved in corruption activities ± The interview with Lai's older a former director-general in the eign vehicles into Xiamen, Fu- 447 X 776 or sorry ± if you're involved in brother was included in thou- mainland's Ministry of Public jian province. NEWS BITES Officials ducking Teenager robbed and attacked grandmother, court told for cover on bird A teenager hit his friend's 80-year-old grandmother over the head with a sports trophy and stole her gold necklace, a pendant and $200, the Court of First Instance heard yesterday. ban, say traders Lee Kin-wai, 17, denied one count of robbery on September 14 last year before Recorder Michael Lunn. The court heard Lee to call the Food and Environ- Martin Wong entered the Tsing Yi flat after taking the key from a sleeping mental Hygiene Department, friend and when disturbed by Madam Kong Wai, 80, knocked her which then asked us to call the unconscious. The trial continues. Hong Kong is facing another mainland departments,'' he said. shortage of ducks and geese ``None of them told us why the after imports from the mainland imports were stopped.'' IIs arrested after break-in were halted.