Hong Kong police seizes 70 million dollars in donations for democratic movement
Police suspect money laundering and financing of anti-government actions. "An attempt to suppress the protest movement". In addition to the Spark Alliance HK, the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund also collects donations for the democratic movement, helping those in need with direct economic aid, legal support or medical assistance.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Hong Kong police seized 70 million Hong Kong dollars (about 8.074 million euros) and arrested four people suspected of money laundering and financing actions against the government.
The Spark Alliance HK, which collected the money, states that it derives from donations from the population to support the democratic movement and the medical and legal expenses for the members of the movement who were injured or arrested during the demonstrations in recent months.
According to the police, the money was used for personal interests and to pay young people who demonstrated in public. Instead, people linked to Spark Alliance HK explain that they only distributed food stamps for protesters.
The four people arrested are three men and a woman between the ages of 17 and 50. One of them is a student. All of them were released on bail.
A month ago, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) suspended the Spark Alliance HK account in which the group received donations. For HSBC the group's activities were not in line with its commercial purposes. Today, hundreds of people have gathered in front of the HSBC headquarters asking for evidence of the alleged wrongdoing.
Chan, one of the protesters interviewed by Rthk, says that the whole deal is clearly an attempt to suppress the protest movement.
Spark Alliance HK is not the only platform for donations to the protest movement. Even more important is the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which has among its founders the former democratic parliamentarian Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, pop singer Denise Ho Wan-sze and Card. Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. This platform, which has raised 97.1 million Hong Kong dollars, has so far helped over 6 thousand people, with direct economic aid, legal support or medical assistance.
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21/12/2019 10:54
16/12/2019
