Hong Kong police may unfreeze charity bank account if funds used to run school

Christian Zheng Sheng Association adopts more conciliatory tone after heated exchanges with authorities over frozen funds

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Alman Chan, former principal of Christian Zheng Sheng College, is wanted by police in conncetion with a HK$50 million fraud case. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 9:49pm, 12 Jun 2024Updated: 6:34pm, 13 Jun 2024

Hong Kong police will consider unfreezing the bank account of a charity mired in a HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) fraud case if it pledges to use the funds to operate its embattled boarding school.

The force softened its stance on Wednesday after the new leadership of the non-profit Christian Zheng Sheng Association also adopted a more conciliatory tone by saying the school, established to help drug addicts, had cut ties with its fugitive founder and principal and the board now “trusted” law enforcement’s handling of its account.

Police said funds could be released on strict conditions.

“If the Christian Zheng Sheng Association can promise that after its account is unfrozen, its capital will be used directly on the school’s operation, such as paying staff salaries, but not on the association itself or on other areas, [then] police will be willing to cooperate,” the force said.

Siu Yu-fat, the vice-chairman of the new board of directors of the association, told the Post on Thursday that they wished to unfreeze the account and would be in touch with the government over the conditions.