Former Hong Kong home affairs secretary Patrick Ho Chi-ping poses an "extreme risk of flight" with the unearthing of stronger evidence of his corruption guilt since his November arrest, the Department of Justice told a US District Court at a pre-trial hearing yesterday.
Ho, 68, has pleaded not guilty to leading a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme between 2014 and last year, when he and Cheikh Gadio, the former foreign minister of Senegal, allegedly helped a Chinese energy firm gain exclusive oil rights in Chad and Uganda.
In a letter to District Judge Katherine Forrest, the prosecution gave a rare glimpse into its investigation progress since the complaint was signed and Ho arrested..
"The government has interviewed witnesses, executed search warrants - including for the Virginia office of the alleged firm - and obtained documents from third parties," wrote US Attorney Geoffrey Berman.
Ho faces charges that, in total, carry a statutory maximum sentence of more than 80 years in jail.
"Any individual [in such position] would be highly incentivized to flee," Berman said.
The prosecution, referring to a pretrial services report, said Ho has more than US$7 million (HK$54.6 million) assets and annual income topping US$400,000.
"Ho has both the means to flee, and the means to make whole his consignor," Berman said.
On January 5, Ho lodged a written motion appealing his detention, suggesting if he were to return to Hong Kong, "he would likely be detained," and face a "significant risk of extradition."
He cited a report by The Standard, quoting a lawyer who suggested his case was "politically motivated."
"Such assertions are baseless, but they might nevertheless be invoked to frustrate Ho's extradition from Hong Kong," Berman said.
He added Ho has "high-level ties" to countries with which the United States has no extradition treaties - including China, Chad and Uganda.
Ho faces eight charges - five relating to bribery in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and three involving money laundering.
"As documented in the detailed 54-page complaint, evidence of Ho's guilt is overwhelming," Berman said.
The indictment quotes extensively from e-mails sent by Ho himself, and many alleged corrupt payments documented by bank and wire transfer records.
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