A London court in the UK has found two men guilty of acting on behalf of Hong Kong authorities and assisting the Chinese government by surveilling well-known Hong Kong pro-democracy dissidents in the UK. The UK government subsequently accused China of violating its sovereignty and announced plans to summon the Chinese Ambassador to the UK.
According to multiple foreign media reports, the two defendants are 65-year-old Chung Biu Yuen and 38-year-old Chi Leung Wai, both of whom hold dual Chinese and British nationality. They were accused of surveilling specific targets between December 2023 and May 2024, thereby assisting a foreign intelligence agency.
After several weeks of trial, London's Central Criminal Court found both men guilty on the 7th. Sentencing will take place at a later date, and they face a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Both men had previously denied the charges. The Chinese Embassy in the UK accused the UK of fabricating the allegations against them.
Following the conviction, the UK Foreign Office will summon Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang.
Tom Tugendhat, the UK's Minister of State for Security, issued a statement after the verdict, saying the pair's activities "violated our sovereignty and will not be tolerated."
He said: "We will continue to hold China to account and will challenge China directly for any actions that endanger the safety of individuals in our country."
According to available information, Chung Biu Yuen is a retired member of the Hong Kong police and previously worked for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London; Chi Leung Wai worked for the UK Border Force and was also a volunteer officer for the City of London Police.
Chi Leung Wai was also convicted of misconduct in public office for abusing his position to access the Home Office database and obtain personal information on individuals of interest to Hong Kong authorities.
Prosecutors pointed out that their actions included surveillance of dissidents in the UK, including Hong Kong pro-democracy figure Nathan Law. The Hong Kong government had once offered a reward of 1 million HKD for information leading to the whereabouts or details about exiled dissidents.
In addition, the pair also conducted surveillance on some British politicians.