The 69-year-old father of Hong Kong fugitive Anna Kwok Fung-yee was found guilty of handling her assets under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, in the first successful prosecution of its kind, with sentencing set for February 26.

Police arrested him last year after he met his daughter overseas early in 2024, then returned to Hong Kong and assisted in canceling several of her insurance policies and withdrawing the remaining balance of about HK$90,000.

Court evidence showed he submitted documents bearing Kwok’s signature to change the policyholder to himself before canceling the policies. 

The insurance broker testified that checks would have been issued to Kwok if she canceled herself, but they went to the father after the transfer.  

Deputy Judge Cheng Lim-chi ruled that Kwok became the automatic policyholder upon adulthood, terminating any prior trustee role her father held. 

Knowing she was a specified fugitive, he still handled her assets, satisfying the offense elements. 

The court stressed the law’s purpose is to pressure fugitives by blocking asset access, regardless of intent; any direct or indirect dealing with a specified fugitive’s property is criminal.  

Prosecutors argued national security offenses warrant imprisonment without suspension. Defense counsel sought leniency, claiming the father only intended to recover his own funds with no evidence he would pass money to Kwok, and requested short-term jail to reflect legislative intent. Legal observers believe a custodial sentence is almost certain given the case’s gravity.  

Anna Kwok Fung-yee, 29, fled to the United States in 2020 after allegedly breaching the National Security Law by colluding with foreign forces to harm state security. 

She founded anti-China groups and served as executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, repeatedly calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong. 

In July 2023 police offered a HK$1 million bounty; in December 2024 she was designated a specified fugitive, losing her HKSAR passport and facing asset restrictions.  

Police described the conviction as a milestone that sends a clear message: assisting fugitives with Hong Kong assets will face prosecution no matter the distance. 

Since the National Security Law, 19 fugitives, including Kwok have been wanted, and 13 designated specified fugitives have had passports revoked, asset frozen, and professional licenses suspended, isolating them overseas and prompting some to lower their profiles. 

Kwok briefly went quiet after her father’s arrest but soon resumed anti-China posts online with little apparent remorse.  

Authorities say the ruling reinforces justice and deters support networks, urging fugitives to surrender.