In January 2019, law enforcement authorities received a report from a company stating that its company account had been hacked and unauthorized transfers had been made, resulting in a loss of approximately HK$9.4 million. After an in-depth investigation, the Sham Shui Po District Police obtained the Hong Kong puppet account information that collected the relevant fraudulent funds, and found that the account handled a total of approximately HK$104 million between June 2018 and January 2019. The puppet household registration holder is a 45-year-old mainland man who was arrested in July last year.
After seeking legal advice, law enforcement authorities charged the man with one count of "money laundering". He had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge and was found guilty by the court. The case was sentenced in the District Court today (31st). In the case, the law enforcement agencies consulted the Department of Justice and applied for a higher penalty in accordance with Section 27 of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance to increase the deterrent effect of money laundering crimes. The court approved a 20 percent increase in the sentence, and the defendant was ultimately sentenced to 33 months in prison. At the same time, the court also issued a confiscation order upon the prosecution's application to confiscate the remaining assets of approximately HK$1.1 million in the man's puppet account.
The law enforcement department stated that if citizens rent and sell bank accounts to others, and the accounts are used by criminals to handle stolen money or launder money, they may commit money laundering crimes. They also emphasized that it is illegal for members of criminal groups to operate accounts, and puppet account holders can also commit laundering crimes. Black money crime. Money laundering is a serious crime with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Regardless of whether the account is lent or sold for money laundering purposes, the penalties and consequences will far exceed the monetary benefits provided by the criminal group.
Original URL:on.cc
