Patrick Ho removed from doctor registration for a year

The Medical Council of Hong Kong decided to remove former Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping’s name from the doctor registration for a year following his imprisonment in the US. 

The ophthalmologist will receive a warning letter as well, for not reporting his case within 28 days of his conviction. 

Ho was convicted for paying bribes to the presidents of Chad and Uganda, and was sentenced in 2019 to three years in prison in a US court. Ho was released in June last year and had returned to Hong Kong. 

The council called for a disciplinary hearing today, in which Ho or his lawyer didn’t attend. The council charged Ho of two counts of professional misconduct. The first included his participation in the bribery case in the US, as well as money laundering. 

Another charge alleged Ho for not reporting to the council within 28 days of his conviction, breaching the Code of Professional Conduct of the council. The Code requires doctors to report any overseas conviction with imprisonment sentences within 28 days of conviction. 

Grace Tang Wai-king, chair of the hearing panel, said they have informed Ho in January, and decided to commence the hearing today in absence of Ho and his lawyer. 

She added although Ho believed it was not fair to continue the hearing before his appeal was decided, Ho didn’t submit more evidence. The panel therefore found Ho guilty of the first charge. 

His conviction of the first charge led to the second one, saying that he didn’t report his conviction within 28 days. Ho was also convicted of the second charge. 

The panel decided to remove his name from the doctor registration for 12 months, given his contribution to the city in the past, and will send him a warning letter over the second charge for failing to report his conviction.