Hong Kong a Haven for Corrupt Chinese Officials

Hong Kong media report that China’s corrupt officials now often have a “representative” in Hong Kong whose job is to safeguard wealth the officials have moved out of China.

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) greets the People's Republic of China Central Military Commission Vice Chairman General Xu Caihou (R) at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, October 27, 2009. Xu, tried to move over 10 billion yuan in assets to Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong newspaper Oriental Daily. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

While China remains the main battle field as corruption busters and corrupt officials duke it out, the fight has slowly spread to the nearby financial hub of Hong Kong, where the workload of local police now includes assisting Chinese authorities in recovering illicit wealth.

A widely reported story in the Hong Kong media last year involved Zhao Dannuo, a 22-year-old mainland Chinese woman. In March 2014, she fled after posting 30 million HK dollars in bail (about US$3.68 million), on a charge of money laundering about 8 million HK dollars (about US$1 million) using the Bank of China (in Hong Kong) for two weeks in December 2012.

In addition, Zhao was also charged with opening up 8 additional accounts for laundering over 10 billion Hong Kong dollars (about US$1.23 billion).

Children, close relatives, and even mistresses can all serve as representatives.