A man from the mainland was arrested on Monday for engaging in illegal currency exchange, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a regular press conference yesterday.
The 39-year-old suspect surnamed Liu told the police that he is jobless.
According to Ho, PJ officers on patrol saw Liu providing an illegal currency exchange deal to a male gambler in a casino in Zape on Monday afternoon.
Liu and the gambler were apprehended on the spot. The gambler then turned witness in the case and claimed to have received illegally exchanged money from Liu and an accomplice twice.
According to Ho, the gambler exchanged 9,800 yuan into chips worth HK$10,000 in a deal with Liu’s accomplice. And after winning HK$30,000, he handed Liu HK$30,000 in gambling chips and Liu transferred 28,500 yuan to the gambler’s account in return.
The police seized casino chips worth HK$74,000 from Liu, including the chips from the gambler. Liu and his accomplice made a profit of 950 yuan in total from the two deals.
Liu was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing an illegal currency exchange charge, according to Ho.
At the time of the press conference, according to Ho, the police were still looking for Liu’s accomplice.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
