The hearing for the director of Xin Ding Xin Trade Co. (XDX), accused of fraud in the government’s bottled water procurement case, continued on Tuesday, with Hong Kong Customs considering additional charges against him.
The defendant, 61-year-old Lui Tsz-chung, appeared before the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts in the morning.
Prosecutors told the court that police investigations were ongoing, while Customs officers were conducting a separate probe and considering further charges.
The prosecution requested an adjournment to allow time for additional inquiries and to seek legal advice from the Department of Justice.
The defense applied for bail, which the prosecution opposed.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Magistrate Kestrel Lam Tsz-hong denied Lui’s bail application and ordered him to remain in custody. The case was adjourned to January 6, 2026.
According to the charge, on April 25, 2025, Lui allegedly intended to defraud the government by falsely representing to personnel of the Government Logistics Department that the information and supporting documents submitted in a tender bid to supply bottled drinking water to multiple government departments were genuine, complete, and accurate.
He is accused of falsely claiming that his company supplied bottled water produced by Robust (Guangdong) Drinking Water’s Guangzhou branch in order to win the contract.
Lui ultimately secured a HK$52.94 million government tender to supply bottled water under the brand name “Xin Le Guan Yin Shan” to offices on Hong Kong Island and the outlying islands.
