Former top cop questions Hong Kong police handling of suspects in Abby Choi murder

The police investigation into the gruesome murder of Hong Kong model and socialite Abby Choi, in which three former relatives by marriage including her ex-husband and former police detective father-in-law have been charged, raises worrying questions about “loopholes” in law enforcement in the city, according to a former high-ranking police officer.

Police on Sunday brought a holding charge of murder against three men aged 28 to 65 and a charge of "perverting the course of justice" against a 63-year-old woman, in connection with the murder of a 28-year-old woman at a village in Tai Po district, according to a statement on the government"s official website. 

A 47-year-old woman -- reportedly the girlfriend of Choi’s ex-father-in-law Kwong Kau -- was also arrested on suspicion of "assisting offenders" in the case, it said.

Media reports said the three men were Kwong Kau, Choi"s ex-husband Alex Kwong and ex-brother-in-law Anthony Kwong, identifying the 63-year-old woman as Choi"s former mother-in-law Jenny Li.

A 28-year-old suspect in the murder of model Abby Choi is taken to a hospital in a hood after being arrested by police in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2023. Credit: TVB screenshot/Handout via ReutersPolice have been searching nearby landfill sites for Choi"s missing body parts after an investigation at Tai Po"s Lung Mei Tsuen village revealed a "butcher"s shop" where several pieces of a human body were found alongside a meat grinder, an electric saw and two vats of soup containing human tissue, as well as cleavers, a hammer, face shields, black raincoats and a purple handbag that belonged to Choi, the English-language South China Morning Post reported.

Police found a skull and several ribs believed to belong to the victim inside a large soup pot from a village house in Tai Po.

Media reports said the murder came amid a dispute between Choi and her ex-in-laws over the sale of a multimillion-dollar property in the upmarket neighborhood of Kadoorie Hill in Ho Man Tin district.

The ground-floor flat where the human remains were found had been rented by Kwong Kau in early February. Choi was reported missing on Feb. 21, the same day police believe Anthony Kwong drove to pick up Choi and the daughter she had with Alex Kwong, the South China Morning Post cited police sources as saying.

Police found blood splatters in a seven-seater vehicle, suggesting Choi was attacked there, noting the presence of a large hole in the back of the skull they said could have been made by the blow that killed her.

Alex Kwong was arrested on Feb. 25 at a pier in the Tung Chung area of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, about to board a speedboat in possession of around H.K.$500,000 (U.S.$63,700) in cash and several luxury watches worth around H.K$4 million (U.S.$510,000), it said.

Police load the refrigerator that is suspected of having been used to store body parts of 28-year-old model Abby Choi onto a truck in Hong Kong, China, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. Credit: TVB/Handout via ReutersDensely populated Hong Kong is no stranger to murder by dismemberment, with a number of grisly cases making headlines since the 1980s, after perpetrators chopped up and even reportedly cooked their victims" remains in a bid to evade detection and dispose of the body.

Former detective accused

Former police superintendent Lai Ka Chi told Radio Free Asia that Kwong Kau is a former detective stationed in the Kowloon shopping district of Mong Kok who resigned in 2004 after being accused of raping a woman he became acquainted with during the course of an investigation.

Lai said that even if the rape allegations were never proven, Kwong"s behavior was likely a violation of police ethics.

"There are many types of punishment that can be handed out as part of the disciplinary process, like warnings, written warnings, severe reprimands, and dismissal," he said. 

"A lot of police officers really fear dismissal because they [would] lose their pension after many years," he said. "This is effective because it means officers are less likely to engage in wanton law-breaking, because they could be left with nothing if dismissed."

"It"s far better to resign during the course of the investigation, because then any disciplinary process stops immediately, because you are no longer part of the police force," Lai said. "Then you can withdraw your pension fund [beginning] from the age of 55."

Online comments also suggested a possible link to current chief executive John Lee, who was the head of criminal investigations in West Kowloon at the time that Kwong Kau was a detective in the Mong Kok branch of the criminal investigations department.

Radio Free Asia carried out checks of public records to verify this claim, and found that Lee returned to Hong Kong in 2003 after being sent for training in London, whereupon he was promoted to the rank of assistant commissioner and given command of the Kowloon West region, a job that included running regional crime and criminal intelligence units, the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau and the Narcotics Investigation Bureau.

"Someone let this slide"

Lai said there are also question-marks about the arrest of Alex Kwong, who he said was technically already a fugitive, having jumped bail in 2015 while a suspect in a robbery case.

Alex Kwong was arrested at the time on suspicion of stealing 39 necklaces, more than 13 gold bars, 102 gold nuggets and other jewelry, he said.

Lai said it is unclear why he was able to evade arrest for eight years without being apprehended. 

Police excavate a landfill during a search for the missing parts of model Abby Choi"s body in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Credit: ReutersAn unconfirmed social media post by someone claiming to be the arresting officer in 2015 claimed that Kwong Kau had helped Alex Kwong to cross the border into mainland China to evade judicial proceedings.

"He should have been added to the wanted list," he said. "It"s not the Immigration Department"s job to know if someone is wanted or not; this should be handled by the police and the court."

"Once the case [of a fugitive] is handed to the police, they should go to the fugitive"s reported residence to look for them," Lai said. "If he crossed the border, then that"s because of a loophole, although I daren"t say in which department."

"Someone let this slide, because he was never put into the computer system as a wanted person," he said.

"Loopholes" suggest broader problems

Lai said such "loopholes" are indicative of a much broader issue with selective law enforcement in Hong Kong.

"This sets a precedent and sends the message that anyone [with connections] can escape," Lai said. "How can you announce to the world that Hong Kong is a safe city, and that people should feel secure investing here?"

"It"s not just law enforcement that"s affected if people don"t have to be held to account for [criminal behavior]; the whole of Hong Kong"s economy is affected," he said.

"All law enforcement agencies should take a close look and see what they could do better."

A request for comment made to the Hong Kong Police Force on Tuesday had met with no response by the time of writing, after being repeated on Wednesday.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie.


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