A British court has convicted two men connected to Hong Kong's London trade office of spying for Chinese authorities. Bill Yuen Chung-biu and Peter Wai Chi-leung were found guilty on Thursday of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
The convictions come two years after the men's arrests drew attention to Hong Kong's overseas offices. Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police superintendent and manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, was accused of passing surveillance requests from Hong Kong authorities to Wai.
Wai, a United Kingdom Border Force officer, used his access to Home Office computer systems to collect personal details on Hong Kong activists living in the UK, prosecutors said.
A Hong Kong government spokesman stated that the case was “absolutely unrelated” to the administration or the London office. He added, “Nor are we party to the case,” and rejected any “unfounded allegations” against Hong Kong authorities.