Hong Kong customs arrests 2 over medical group’s abrupt closure

Hong Kong customs has arrested a company director and a secretary of a medical group whose abrupt closure last week prompted hundreds of complaints from parents who had prepaid for their children’s vaccinations.

The male director and female secretary of Alliance Medical Group were detained on Wednesday for allegedly “wrongly accepting payment” under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, customs divisional commander Tsang Kin-wah said.

Tsang, of the unfair trade practice investigation division, said the medical group had received prepayments days before it was suspected to have shut down last Thursday.

More than 2,000 complaints have been lodged with authorities and the consumer watchdog, including from parents who had paid in advance for vaccination packages for their children.

As of Wednesday afternoon, customs and police had received 1,686 complaints, with the amount involved rising to nearly HK$7.2 million. The Consumer Council had taken 844 complaints, with the amount involved nearly HK$4.5 million.

The man, who also served as the group’s chief executive officer, was in hospital because of health issues when he was arrested and neither of the suspects had a criminal record, a source said.