42 months for Ted Hui after jumping bail

Sophie Hui

Self-exiled former legislator Ted Hui Chi-fung was yesterday sentenced in absentia to 42 months in prison for jumping bail in court cases stemming from his allegedly disruptive conduct in the Legislative Council and involvement in protest action in 2019.

High Court Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai also ordered Hui, 40, to pay court costs.

Hui, who is currently in Australia, was convicted of four counts of contempt of court in June in his absence.

He had asked police to return his passport for a visit to Denmark. But he jumped bail and announced he was in exile in late 2020.

In a written judgment yesterday, Chan said Hui was found to have deceived police and the court by providing false documents, which were invitation letters and an itinerary from a foreign political organization when asking the District Court for bail, enabling him to leave Hong Kong and evade criminal proceedings.

"The deception was carefully orchestrated by the respondent with the consequence that public confidence in the administration of justice has been greatly undermined," Chan said.

Hui's actions "not only made a mockery of the criminal justice system but also amounted to the commission of the offense of perverting the course of public justice."

Despite Hui not being charged for perverting the course of public justice, Chan said, "the factual scenario is similar."

Chan said he had considered the seriousness of the case, in particular the provision of false documents, the consequence of Hui's absconding and its effect on the criminal justice system and "precedents in criminal contempt cases."

Hui showed "no remorse" for the criminal contempt, Chan said in sentencing him to more than three years behind bars.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Hui declared the court action to be "a political trial and sentence" that damaged Hong Kong's justice system.

sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com