A top officer in the highly sensitive national security department of the Hong Kong police force who was found inside an unlicensed massage parlour during an anti-vice raid by colleagues has been cleared of wrongdoing after an internal police investigation.
Less than a week after it was revealed that Senior Assistant Commissioner and Director of National Security, Frederic Choi, had been discovered inside a suspected vice den and placed on enforced leave, anti-triad detectives who carried out a probe into his activities say they have found no evidence of “illegal or immoral” conduct.
“At the time when Mr Choi was found… we have no evidence to suggest he was there doing any illegal acts or committing any immoral acts,” said chief superintendent Ryan Wong Wai of the force’s Organized Crime and Triad Bureau on Tuesday.
Choi was found inside an unlicensed massage parlour in Wan Chai at the end of March during a police search of the premises, Wong said. Six women were arrested during the raid.
“Being found in an unlicensed massage parlour is not in violation of any Hong Kong laws,” the chief superintendent said, saying the bureau had conducted a “thorough investigation” into the matter due to Choi’s senior position in the force.
Wong said the bureau had not disclosed the details of the investigation at the time because it may have affected the outcome of the probe: “We have conducted a very thorough investigation that needs time. Before we had gathered all the evidence or concluded our investigation, it would have been unfair to disclose any details.”
Despite the probe unearthing no evidence of criminal or moral wrongdoing by Choi, its findings have been sent to the Department of Justice for its legal advice as to next steps. Choi remains on leave.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
