Hong Kong police have arrested another off-duty policewoman in connection with a money laundering case involving approximately HK$10.5 million that was initially uncovered in January.
The case saw new developments as police announced the recent arrest of an off-duty female officer. She and a previously arrested off-duty male colleague have both been charged with "fraud." Their case is scheduled for hearing at Eastern Magistrates' Court on Friday, and both officers have been suspended from duty.
The case was first exposed on January 16, when the Financial Intelligence and Investigation Branch conducted in-depth investigations and arrested eight local men and four local women (aged 28 to 68) in Sheung Shui, Fanling, Tuen Mun, and Kwai Chung districts that morning. They were suspected of "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence", with seven of the arrested men (aged 28 to 39) being off-duty police officers.
The 12 suspects are alleged to have used 22 bank accounts between 2017 and 2024 to launder suspected criminal proceeds amounting to approximately HK$10.5 million. Among them, two off-duty police officers were additionally arrested for "fraud" for renting out their self-occupied mortgaged properties between 2019 and 2024. All arrested persons were granted bail pending further investigation.
On Thursday, police provided a case update, stating that following continued investigations, Financial Intelligence and Investigation Branch officers arrested a 38-year-old woman in Wan Chai district on September 26 on suspicion of "fraud." This woman and a 39-year-old man arrested on January 16 have been jointly charged with one count of "fraud," while the man faces an additional "fraud" charge. The case will be heard at Eastern Magistrates' Court on Friday morning. Police added that both individuals are off-duty police officers who have now been suspended.
Police emphasized that the force places great importance on officers' conduct and will not tolerate or condone any illegal behavior by personnel, dealing with such matters seriously.
