Fate of Patrick Ho sends out warning

Jailing of former Hong Kong home affairs minister in the United States must never be forgotten by companies and businessmen from China who go abroad in search of new markets and growth opportunities

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Former Hong Kong official Patrick Ho was sentenced to three years in jail over a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving top African leaders. Photo: SCMP

SCMP Editorial

Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.

Published: 9:25pm, 26 Mar 2019Updated: 9:46pm, 26 Mar 2019

Former home affairs secretary Patrick Ho Chi-ping is the first Hong Kong minister past or present to be sentenced to jail in an overseas jurisdiction. The pro-Beijing figure may remain the last, but the lessons of the downfall of a champion of the “Belt and Road Initiative” must be fully absorbed and never forgotten by companies and businessmen who go abroad in search of new markets and growth opportunities.

A federal court judge in New York imprisoned Ho for three years after a jury found him guilty on seven of eight serious counts of corrupt and illegal business practices, including y bribery that violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and money laundering. They involved offers of millions of dollars to African officials for oil rights in Chad and Uganda for conglomerate CEFC China Energy.

With credit for 16 months already held behind bars, plus up to five months off the remainder for good behaviour, Ho may serve only another 15 months. Experienced defence lawyers see that as a “merciful” outcome, given that he could have faced many years more. It reflects seeming restraint from prosecutors who did not dispute his career contributions, his remorse and, possibly, his community work in helping other prison inmates with English, writing resumes and public speaking.