A Hong Kong woman targeted in a spying case in the UK allegedly stole HK$164 million from her ex-employers in the city, a court has heard.
Monica Kwong did not attend a civil proceeding lodged by her former employers HK Yearshine Investment Limited and Twt Global Limited at the High Court on Friday. The firms sought to extend an injunction order banning her from transferring the allegedly stolen money.
Kwong was believed to be the woman whose UK home was allegedly surveilled and forced into on May 1 – an incident which prompted UK authorities to prosecute Bill Yuen, 63, Peter Wai, 38, and Matthew Trickett, 37, over spying under the country’s National Security Act.
Yuen is an officer manager at the London Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) and a retired Hong Kong police officer. Wai worked for the UK border force, while Trickett worked at the UK’s Home Office as an immigration officer.
According to the UK prosecution’s case, Yuen tasked Wai and Trickett with conducting the surveillance and the home break-in against Kwong, who moved to the country last December.
Trickett was found dead earlier this week after the trio were released on bail. UK police are investigating into his death.
Kwong stands accused of stealing from the two companies alongside Hon Tai-hung, Li Jingfang, and Pang Yuk-hing in the civil lawsuit in Hong Kong. None of the defendants attended the proceedings in person or via a lawyer on Friday, according to local media reports.
Kwong and Hon allegedly stolen HK$136 million from the two companies between July 2022 and November 2023. Between November 2022 and October 2023, Kwong, Li, and Pang were said to have stolen another HK$ 8 million from the companies, while Kwong was accused of stealing an additional HK$20 million.
Local media reported that Kwong worked as an accountant for the two companies before she left the city.
The two companies sought to recover a total of HK$164 million from the defendants and applied for an injunction order prohibiting them to transfer the said amount.
Judge Lisa Wong agreed to extend the injunction but requested the plaintiff to deliver the order to the defendants by “substituted service” – such as by issuing a notice in newspapers.
High-profile case
The spying case has triggered diplomatic tensions between China and the UK, which ruled Hong Kong before 1997. China accused the UK for “cooking up charges” and interference in Hong Kong’s affairs, while the UK said China-linked espionage in its territories was “not acceptable.”
See also: Explainer: Why UK authorities arrested 3 men linked to Hong Kong’s trade office
Hong Kong official Algernon Yau, the city’s commerce and economic development chief who oversees the HKETO in London, met with British Deputy Consul-General in the city Sarah Robinson on Thursday, demanding “fair” treatment and transparency in the high-profile case.
Yuen and Wai appeared at a London court on Friday. They will next appear in court on October 25 and a trial will begin next February, Ming Pao reported.
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