Hong Kong’s national security police have arrested a man accused of helping a group of fraudsters allegedly linked to “a local extremist gang” – an apparent reference to a self-proclaimed revolutionary organisation called Returning Valiant.
The 47-year-old was arrested in Western District on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, according to a police statement on Tuesday evening.
It said the man allegedly helped a fraud syndicate submit false information to a local bank and borrow a total of HK$4.7 million under the “Special 100% Loan Guarantee” scheme, the government’s Covid-19 relief measure for small and medium-sized companies.
“That fraudulent group has other members with suspected links to a local extremist gang,” the police statement added. Those other fraud group members were arrested in October over terrorism, arson, fraud and money-laundering charges.
The 47-year-old was released on bail on Tuesday night and must report to police again in mid-May, according to an update to the statement on Wednesday afternoon.
October arrest
Last October, national security police arrested a 22-year-old man who they said was believed to have connection with “a number of localist criminal organisations.”
Local media at that time said the 22-year-old had allegedly provided financial support to Returning Valiant and was himself a member of another anti-government group called Black Bloc.
Additionally, the 22-year-old was suspected of conspiring to defraud a bank and to have obtained around HK$4.7 million with four others, who were also arrested at the time on fraud and money-laundering charges.
Returning Valiant
In a separate case two members of Returning Valiant were jailed for five years in February and five teenagers sent to a training centre last October for conspiring to incite subversion – one of the four major offences outlawed by the Beijing-imposed national security law.
The Returning Valiant case marked the first time minors had been sentenced under the security legislation.
The legislation, enacted by Beijing in June 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests, criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts, which were broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure.
Critics say such laws have been used broadly to silence and punish dissidents in China. However, the authorities say it has restored stability and peace to the city.
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