Read More
The former head of the National Security Department appeared in court as a defense witness in a case that four people have been charged with running an alleged vice establishment at an unlicensed massage parlor. He gave witness testimony on Tuesday that he never paid for sex.
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Frederic Choi Chin-pang, the current Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, was found with a woman inside an unlicensed massage parlor "Viet Spa" in Wan Chai on March 19 last year during an anti-vice raid.
Four suspects engaging in the case, three women and a man, were charged with six criminal counts including managing a vice establishment.
Choi told the court that no one at Viet Spa had offered him sex for money and he never received any such services during his four or five visits there from 2020 to 2021.
Each of his hour-long visits involved receiving the same service from a woman in a room, and he had no reason to believe sexual services were on offer, Choi added.
Choi said that he went to the massage parlour in his private capacity and had no knowledge or control of the police raid that ended up interrupting his visit.
Besides, he claimed its lack of methods to confirm whether the parlor held licenses before he went there, and his perception of the place was based on his judgment. He agreed with the prosecutor that he had limited knowledge, as he did not know the venue's manager and staff.
The defendants of the case are 36-year-old Li Yiqing, 34-year-old Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Thu huong, 35-year-old Zhang Mingfang, and a 61-year-old male Wu Ping-hung, according to the court.
The case was adjourned until September 23 for closing statements.
Choi served the Force for over 26 years and was appointed to be director of the National Security Department in July 2020.
He was reassigned to be the head of police training and discipline in mid-August last year after five-month on leave since he was detected at the massage parlor. An internal investigation cleared him of illegal conduct.
