A former Hong Kong district councillor has pleaded not guilty over his alleged involvement in a fraud syndicate that cheated nine people out of HK$740,000 (US$95,400), and will remain on remand after nearly two years in custody as his trial continues.
Wong Chun-yeung, 30, a former Islands district councillor from the opposition camp, on Friday entered a not guilty plea to Deputy District Judge Winnie Lau Yee-wan, for nine counts of conspiracy to defraud.
Prosecutors also pressed another 10 money laundering charges as alternatives to his main offence, which Wong also denied.
The defendant told the court last year that he intended to plead guilty after a plea bargain with the prosecution.
But in the latest hearing, he denied conning nine people in “guess who I am” phone scams in which he pretended to be their family members in need of money. He allegedly collected HK$50,000 to HK$200,000 from each of the victims between May 29 and June 5, 2023.
The prosecution said each offence was punishable by at least three years imprisonment, and that it would apply to the court for a stiffer sentence if the defendant was convicted.
