HKSAR govt condemns misleading remarks about police investigations

HONG KONG -- The Security Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday condemned misleading remarks about the police investigations and expressed support for financial institutions assuming the responsibility of assisting the police.

The police recently requested information from local banks about the accounts of people arrested on suspicion of breaching the national security law in the HKSAR.

The bureau said law enforcement agencies are responsible for taking actions against illegal activities and the police need to collect evidence and relevant materials during the investigations.

However, some people made biased remarks to mislead the public that collection of evidence could only be conducted with the consent of the suspects, attempting to create an illusion of injustice on the police investigation, and some foreign politicians exerted pressures on financial institutions assisting the police, the bureau said.

The bureau seriously condemned the misleading remarks and political manipulation.

The police conduct their operations and investigations strictly according to the relevant laws and regulations, the bureau said, stressing that the law provides the police the legal power to make an application to the magistrate for a warrant to collect evidence.

Financial institutions have been fulfilling their responsibilities regarding the handling of funds from suspected money laundering activities in accordance with the law, and the foreign politicians attempting to exert pressure on them disregarded the rule of law and their acts were purely politically motivated, the bureau said.

Hong Kong is a member of the intergovernmental organization Financial Action Task Force. The HKSAR government is required to be able to obtain all relevant documents and information for money laundering investigations, prosecutions, and related actions, including requiring financial institutions to produce customer records, the bureau said.