Hong Kong police arrest 2 men in connection with JPEX crypto scandal after they are returned by Macau authorities
- Macau authorities hand over two Hongkongers, both 29, who had been detained with HK$6.5 million in cash and valuables seized
- Police earlier described them, and 2 others, as being ‘relatively close to the core’ of under-investigation crypto platform JPEX
Hong Kong police on Saturday arrested two men in connection with the scandal over cryptocurrency platform JPEX after Macau authorities returned them to the city.
The force revealed on Friday that two Hongkongers, both 29, had been detained in neighbouring Macau with HK$6.5 million (US$830,390) in cash and valuables seized. About HK$8.2 million was also frozen in their casino accounts.
Macau police said the pair owned over-the-counter cryptocurrency changer shops.
While Hong Kong and Macau do not have official extradition agreements, Assistant Police Commissioner Chung Wing-man said it was up to courts in the casino hub to decide what to do with the suspects.
The pair arrived handcuffed and with their faces covered at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan at around 6pm on Saturday, and were hauled into vans by officers before being driven away.
Police said on Friday that two other men, both 28, had been detained in connection with the case. The four arrested in the latest bust were described as being “relatively close to the core” of JPEX, which is the largest fraud case of its kind in Hong Kong.
