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Money service operator receives record high fine for breaching customer due diligence, record-keeping requirements and providing false or misleading documents

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

A money service operator license holder was convicted by the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts on November 4 for failing to comply with customer due diligence and record-keeping requirements, and providing false or misleading documents to Customs officers under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Ordinance). The company was fined a total of $328,000, the highest fine on record among similar cases.

During a compliance inspection in March last year, Customs officers found that the company had serious deficiencies in conducting remittance transactions between February and July 2022, including failing to identify and verify the identity of the beneficial owners, failing to record the information of the recipients, failing to conduct ongoing monitoring of the business relationship with relevant remitters, and providing false or misleading documents to Customs officers during the investigation.

Customs welcomes the sentence, noting that the fine imposes a considerable deterrent effect and serves as a clear and definite warning to licensed money service operators who violate the law.

Customs reminds all licensed money service operators to comply with the customer due diligence and record-keeping requirements under the Ordinance. Any person who contravenes the requirements is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $1 million and imprisonment for seven years. In addition, any licensed money service operator who produces any false or misleading record, document or answer as if they were in compliance with the requirements during compliance inspections commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the Ordinance to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 180 8282 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

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Delta region air quality improving

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A report on air quality in 2024 jointly released by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau under the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network, indicates a long-term downward trend in air pollutant concentrations for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, respirable suspended particulates (PM10), and fine suspended particulates (PM2.5).

The Environmental Protection Department stated that the report finds the 2024 average concentrations for these pollutants to have declined by between 18% and 86% from their peak levels. It added that the drop demonstrates the effectiveness of emission reduction measures being implemented across the three places.

The department highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has implemented various air pollutant emission control measures to enhance air quality.

Moreover, the Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 – which came into effect in April of this year – tightens five existing Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) and adds three new parameters introduced by the World Health Organization to its global air quality guidelines. Among 15 updated AQOs, seven are set at the most stringent levels under the guidelines, on a par with those of other advanced economies.

The Hong Kong SAR Government is also committed to phasing out approximately 40,000 Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles by the end of 2027. New registrations of fuel-propelled private cars, including hybrids, will cease in 2035 or earlier, and approximately 700 electric buses and 3,000 electric taxis will be introduced by the end of 2027.

The department outlined that the Hong Kong SAR Government is supporting the green transformation of vehicles and striving towards zero vehicular emissions by 2050. It reported that as of the end of September of this year the number of electric vehicles in Hong Kong exceeded 135,000, including about 132,000 private cars, which was nine times the number from six years ago and accounted for 21% of all private cars in the city.

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26 landlords of subdivided units under regulated tenancies convicted of contravening relevant statutory requirements

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

26 landlords of subdivided units under regulated tenancies convicted of contravening relevant statutory requirements 
     The offences of these 26 landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; and (2) requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the Ordinance (including requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance).

     The RVD earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon a comprehensive investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted the landlords.
 
     A spokesman for the RVD reiterated that SDU landlords must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, including prohibiting landlords from doing any act calculated to interfere with the peace or comfort of members of the tenant’s household, with the intention of causing the tenant to give up occupation of the SDU; or requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance, and also reminded tenants of their rights under the Ordinance, including a four-year (i.e. two years plus two years) security of tenure. He also stressed that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether they have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD’s request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances, and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecution against suspected contraventions of the Ordinance. In addition, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work to enhance public awareness about the key offences and penalties, emphasising that the RVD proactively checks whether landlords have committed the offences under the Ordinance.  
     The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years. A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. The RVD has been issuing letters enclosing relevant information to the landlords and tenants concerned of regulated tenancies in batches, according to the expiry time of their first-term tenancies, to assist them in understanding the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and to remind them about the procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy as well as their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD’s website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html 
     For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD’s webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.htmlIssued at HKT 16:25

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4.1k arrested in anti-crime operation

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Police arrested 4,140 people and seized cash, dangerous drugs and illicit goods amounting to $548 million during an anti-crime joint operation with their Guangdong and Macau counterparts.

Codenamed “THUNDERBOLT 2025”, the tripartite operation was conducted from August 4 to September 6, and from October 11 to 25.

During the operation, the Hong Kong Police Force conducted searches at about 1,700 locations, neutralising over 800 gambling dens, vice establishments, divans and unlicensed bars.

A total of 4,140 people, aged between 13 and 89, were arrested for triad or drug offences ranging from murder, wounding and blackmail to trafficking in dangerous drugs and money laundering.

Among the arrestees, 780 were Mainlanders and 557 were non-ethnic Chinese.

The force also seized $13.6 million in cash suspected to be crime proceeds as well as dangerous drugs worth more than $500 million.

The intelligence-led enforcement operation was aimed at combating the illegal activities of triad societies and organised crime syndicates, neutralising cross-boundary crimes, and interdicting the criminals’ sources of income.

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Senior Citizen Day discounts coming

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Social Welfare Department today has invited the local catering sector, as well as retail and other merchants, to offer special discounts and concessions for the elderly on Senior Citizens Day, which will be held on November 16.

Over 400 organisations and merchants, together having more than 3,800 outlets, will participate in the programme by offering discounts or other concessions to Senior Citizen Card holders for purchases made that day.

Participating companies will display a publicity poster. Meanwhile, details of participating companies and special offers are available via the Senior Citizen Card Scheme mobile app and the department’s website.  

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Draft Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay Outline Zoning Plan approved

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Draft Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay Outline Zoning Plan approved 
     “The approved OZP provides a statutory land use planning framework to guide the development and redevelopment within the Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay area”, a spokesman for the Town Planning Board said today (November 7). 
 
The planning scheme area, covering an area of about 341 hectares, is located in East Kowloon within Kwun Tong District. It is bounded by New Clear Water Bay Road and Clear Water Bay Road to the north, Kwun Tong By-pass to the west, Shun Yip Street and Chun Wah Road to the south, and Hong Ning Road, Sau Mau Ping Road and Lee On Road to the east.
 
The approved OZP has incorporated the amendments shown on the draft Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay OZP No. S/K13/33, which mainly involve (i) rezoning two sites at Choi Hing Road and Choi Ha Road from “Government, Institution or Community” (“G/IC”) to “Residential (Group A)4”; and (ii) rezoning two strips of land at Choi Hing Road from “G/IC” to areas shown as ‘Road’ and a strip of land at Choi Ha Road from “G/IC” to “G/IC(3)” to reflect the as-built conditions.
 
The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP have been amended to reflect the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zonings and the planning circumstances, where appropriate.
 
The approved Ngau Tau Kok and Kowloon Bay OZP No. S/K13/34 is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Kowloon District Planning Office, and (iv) the Kwun Tong District Office.
 
Copies of the approved OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centre in North Point. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed at the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hkIssued at HKT 16:00

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Ambulance transfer scheme extended

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today announced that the “Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area” will be extended for a year, and will include designated hospitals in Zhuhai and Nansha from November 9.

The scheme will be extended to Zhuhai People’s Hospital and the Nansha Division of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University.

Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said the scheme’s extension will enhance medical collaboration in the Greater Bay Area, offering patients safer, more timely and convenient transfer arrangements.

The Hong Kong SAR Government, in collaboration with the People’s Government of Zhuhai Municipality and the Nansha District People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality, conducted drills in September and October simulating cross-boundary patient transfers.

The scheme was launched on November 30 last year, and its first phase involved implementing direct cross-boundary ambulance transfers of patients from designated hospitals in Shenzhen and Macau to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong.

As of early this month, a total of 17 patients, including 11 from Shenzhen and six from Macau, had been successfully transferred to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong for treatment.

In light of the scheme’s smooth implementation to date, it has been extended until November 29 next year.