An ex-bishop of Hong Kong who is 90 years old has been accused of fraudulently registering a support fund for protesters who were detained in 2019.
A 90-year-old Catholic cardinal and five others have gone on trial in Hong Kong for allegedly failing to register a now-defunct fund to help provide legal aid to people arrested in the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong, was arrested in May together with others including singer Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng under the national security law.
They have since been charged for failing to properly register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund and appeared in court on Monday.
Zen, together with Ho, Ng as well as cultural studies scholar Hui Po Keung and former legislator Cyd Ho, were trustees of the fund. A sixth defendant, Sze Ching-wee, was the fund’s secretary.
All have pleaded not guilty.
None of the defendants spoke to reporters on their way into West Kowloon court on Monday morning.
If convicted they face a fine of up to 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,274) but no jail time.
“Colluding with foreign forces”, the security law offense for which they were originally arrested, carries a potential life term.
The 612 funds helped pay medical and legal fees for arrested protesters during the 2019 protests but were wound up last year after the national security police demanded information on its operations including its donors and beneficiaries.
The Societies Ordinance requires local organizations to register or apply for an exemption within a month of their establishment.