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Connor Mycroft

Former Hong Kong lawmaker Chim Pui-chung and his son were remanded in custody this week after being found guilty in a fraud case connected to a publicly listed company.
The anti-corruption watchdog had arrested the retired legislator for defrauding shareholders through a concealed back-door listing agreement for Asia Resources Holdings. Transactions in the case were made between 2013 and 2015.
The conviction has put the spotlight back onto the extravagant lifestyle and past legal troubles of the controversial 78-year-old dubbed the “angry Chiu Chow man”.
The Post looks at Chim’s history and how he landed in trouble this time.
1. How did he shoot to fame?
Chim was born in 1946 in Chaozhou, or Chiu Chow, in Guangdong province and moved to Hong Kong when he was about 11 years old.
He entered the finance industry in the 1970s and rode the market boom during a period in which stock brokers were earning so much they could famously afford to eat shark’s fin with rice.
By 1980 he had earned the title “golden banker” when he reportedly drove the share price for Carrian Group up by 16 times. Chim was the broker for George Tan Soon-gin, the group’s founder.
The Hong Kong conglomerate collapsed in 1983 in the city’s largest bankruptcy of that era amid a major corruption and fraud scandal.
After finance he turned to politics, serving as legislative councillor for the financial services functional constituency from 1991 until 1998, when he was forced to step down after being convicted of plotting to forge share-transfer documents.

2. How did he re-enter Legco?
Chim asserted that his forgery conviction was the result of political persecution by the colonial establishment in charge before the city’s return to Chinese rule.
In 2004, he re-entered politics to again represent the financial services constituency. He was diagnosed with cancer during his first term back in the Legislative Council, but made a full recovery.
He was automatically reelected in 2008 after running unopposed.
Despite initially indicating he would run again in 2012, he withdrew his candidacy in the same month, according to local media reports at the time.
Rumours circulated that he had been forced to quit by the central government, which he denied.
Chim briefly came out of retirement in 2016 for the Legco election. He opted to run for the Hong Kong Island constituency, while his son competed for the financial services constituency that he had previously held. Neither succeeded.
3. What are his nicknames and what kind of life has he led?
Chim has never been short of nicknames. Besides his “golden banker” title, others he picked up included “Rolls-Royce Chim”, which referred to his habit of driving around in a gold model of one of the brand’s cars.
But perhaps the one with the most saying power is “angry Chiu Chow man” owing to his outspoken nature and at times crass remarks.
In 1994, Chim said on a TV talk show that “all women are chicken”. The expression goes beyond its normal English meaning of coward and refers to sex workers in Cantonese.
He snapped back at a judge in 2013 while serving as a defence witness in Birmingham Football Club boss Carson Yeung Ka-sing’s money-laundering trial.
Chim told the presiding judge to “speak softly” to him after the justice cut him off in the middle of a heated exchange with a prosecutor.
He has also been known for his lavish lifestyle and has owned stakes in 25 publicly traded companies.
When he launched his failed 2016 election run, he announced he would finance his campaign with HK$9.77 million (US$1.3 million) of his own money he said he had won at a casino in Macau a week before.
Other behaviour has also come under scrutiny. In 1996 he was escorted home after a long lunch at Legco, reportedly after being seen by a colleague “zigzagging out of the chamber”.
He later confirmed he had been on a “drinking session”.

4. What legal battles has he faced over the years?
Monday’s conviction is just the latest in a string of legal battles.
In his 1998 forged documents case, Chim was sentenced to three years’ jail, which was reduced to 12 months on appeal.
A year later, he was convicted of two election corruption charges for illegally treating voters to a dinner and failing to obtain written authorisation to incur expenses.
The latest hearing also revealed that the former legislator had three convictions before 1998.
In another court case in 2000, following a Securities and Futures Commission investigation, he was found to have secretly secured a majority holding in Mandarin Resources for many years, having taken advantage of small shareholders. The High Court ordered Chim to make a general offer and sell the company.
Shortly after returning to Legco in 2004, Chim also faced questioning from the securities watchdog over why he and his son co-owned more than 95 per cent of a listed company. Their holdings were far higher than the listing rule requirement which bars major shareholders holding more than 75 per cent of a company.
5. What are some of his well-known quotes?
Following up on his comments in 1994 comparing women to sex workers, he said: “There is only a difference between those reserved for private use and those ready for public consumption”.
As for his 1998 conviction of conspiracy to forge documents, he said: “Although I was unfairly convicted by the government, I managed to be a legislative councillor for eight years. It shows my credibility is more than that of the government.”
Chim also reserved harsh words for former chief executive Leung Chun-ying.
“Leung is too stubborn. He never concedes or admits having done anything wrong. One who is too headstrong should have his brain checked,” Chim said.
During his 2016 election run, he offered his take on “the three worst things that can happen to a man”.
“First: get jailed. Second: get cancer. Third: be addicted to politics. I’ve had all three, so I don’t think it can get worse,” he said.


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Hong Kong’s Chim Pui-chung: who is ‘angry Chiu Chow man’ convicted of fraud?

Chim Pui-chung is known for his outspoken nature and at times crass remarks. Photo: SCMP

Chim Pui-chung arrives at District Court earlier this week. Photo: Sam Tsang

Chim Pui-chung (left) being accompanied to police headquarters in connection with his forged documents case in the late 1990s. Photo: SCMP

Former Hong Kong lawmaker Chim Pui-chung and son found guilty of fraud

Chim Pui-chung represented the financial services sector in the Legislative Council between 2004 and 2012. Photo: Sam Tsang

Ricky Chim Kim-lun was the chairman of Asia Resources Holdings. Photo: Bruce Yan

A judge has said businesswoman Wong Poe-lai should have realised the assets involved in the case came from illegitimate sources. Photo: Brian Wong

Hong Kong charges ex-legislator Chim Pui-chung, his son for fraud and a businesswoman for money laundering

The headquarters of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in North Point, on 26 August 2016. Photo: Felix Wong.

Chim Pui-chung announces his Legco Election 2016 candidacy in Western. 06JUN16 SCMP/ Dickson Lee

Interview with Financial Services candidate, Legco election Ricky Chim Kim-lun in Admiralty. 18AUG16 SCMP / Bruce Yan

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Hong Kong

Law and Crime

From ‘golden banker’ fame to fiery outbursts, the Post looks at background of former lawmaker found guilty in fraud case this week


From ‘golden banker’ fame to fiery outbursts, the Post looks at background of former lawmaker found guilty in fraud case this week.


Financial crime

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong courts

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Explainer | Hong Kong’s Chim Pui-chung: who is ‘angry Chiu Chow man’ convicted of fraud?

From ‘golden banker’ fame to fiery outbursts, the Post looks at background of former lawmaker found guilty in fraud case this week

1. How did he shoot to fame?