Mandatory use of seatbelt on buses takes effect Sunday

 

Most buses still have only a few seatbelts installed 

Passengers on public buses and coaches must wear seatbelts – if they are installed on the seat they are occupying – starting Saturday.

The tighter laws caused confusion among passengers wary of being fined, and even possibly, jailed for non-compliance, as many of the buses are still not fitted with seatbelts, or have ones that do not work.

Not a few fiddled around their seats to look for the confining straps before sitting down, only to realize that the bus that they are on still lacks them.

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The confusion continued online, where some netizens seriously asked if standing on buses would no longer be allowed, as passengers who can’t get a seat will obviously not be able to strap in during their commute.

In a TV interview, Transport Secretary Mable Chan eased the concerns, saying the new regulations are meant to protect passengers and not punish them.

“We hope to enforce the law in a humane manner,” she said. “Introducing this policy is not to penalize passengers or to give them a fine.”

Chan said the intention of the law is to ensure passengers wear seatbelts for their own safety, adding that even the police had said early on that they will carry out more publicity and education campaign than to imposed penalties.

Under the new law, failing to wear a seatbelt could incur a maximum fine of $5,000 and imprisonment for up to three months.

Another law that took effect Sunday requires drivers to install no more than two mobile devices on their vehicles, with their screens measuring a maximum diagonal length of 19 centimeters.

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The regulation was imposed to curb the previous practice of some taxi drivers of installing as many as 10 mobile phones on their dashboards to maximize income by monitoring numerous ride-hailing apps and local booking services simultaneously in search of passengers.

Violators face a maximum fine of $2,000.

 

High Court to sentence Pinay for drug trafficking

 

Sentencing for the drug trafficking case to be made by the High Court

A magistrate has elevated the sentencing of a Filipina to the High Court after she pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in a case that dates back to 2024.

Eastern Court Magistrate Minnie Wat left to the High Court the scheduling of the next hearing for Ma. Divina Yap, 49 years old, unemployed, with no permanent address -- and remanded her back to jail.

Magistrate Wat made the order after Yap pleaded guilty to trafficking in dangerous drugs, contrary to sections 4(1)a) and (3) of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Cap. 134 in a hearing on Thursday (Jan. 23)..

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A police complaint said Yap was arrested in Aug. 1, 2024 at the basement of 43-45 High Street, Sai Ying: Pun, for allegedly selling a dangerous drug, namely 22.37 grams of a crystalline solid containing 22.37 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride (otherwise known as shabu or ice).

In a separate case at Shatin Court on the same day, Filipina Vanessa Poblacion was sent back to jail after the two charges of drug trafficking, with three Indian co-accused, were adjourned to March 19.

Poblacion was not included in the first charge, where Bawa Karnesh, Alam Aftab and Mohammed Kalimuddin, were accused of trafficking 3,050 gram of cannabis in herbal form on May 30, 2023 at Tsing Kwai Highway, Tsing Yi, New Territories.

In the second charge, she was accused along with the three, for trafficking a long list of drugs on May 30, 2023, at a room of Rambler Oasis Hotel, on Tsing Yi Road, New Territories. The drugs included:

• 694.64 grams of cannabis in herbal form;
• 1,718.7 grams of cannabis resin;
• 603 grams of a solid containing cannabis resin;

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• 39.6 grams of a crystalline solid containing 39.6 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride;
• 11.9 grams of a solid containing 9.90 grams of ketamine;
• 15.6 grams of a solid containing 8.70 grams of cocaine;
• 15.4 grams of a solid containing 13.5 grams of a solid containing N,N-dimethylpentylone;
• 2,861 grams of a solid containing 1.71 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol;
• 25.1 grams of a liquid containing 18.11 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol;
• 21.7 grams of a solid containing 16.7 grams of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine;
• 339 tablets and 1 tablet fragment containing 21.97 grams of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; and
• 0.06 grams of a solid containing lysergide.

Of the three Indians, Bawa was allowed bail of $60,000 plus surety of $30,000, while Alam was allowed bail of $100,000 and Mohammed was remanded,

Anti-illegal work operations nets 19 people in 7 days

 

11 women and 2 men were arrested for illegal work

A combined team of operatives from the Immigration Department, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Labour Department carried out anti-illegal work operations in the past week, or from Jan 16 to 22, and arrested a total of 19 people.

Those arrested comprised 13 suspected illegal workers, four employers and two aiders and abettors. They were arrested during raids on several target locations across the city, including restaurants, flats under renovation and grocery stores.

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IOf the 13 suspected illegal workers, there were two mean and 11 women, aged 24 to 62. Two of the women hold recognizance papers or applications against deportation, which prohibit them from taking up employment.

The suspected employers were all locals, two men and two women aged 36 to 62. The aiders and abettors, or facilitators of the suspected illegal employment, were a man aged 35 and a woman aged 50.

Immigration said an investigation into the employers is continuing, and further arrests are likely.

It also again warned that taking up illegal work, or one that is not approved by the Immigration Director, is a serious offence, for which the maximum penalty is two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $50,000.

If the offender is an illegal immigrant, an overstayer, or subject to deportation, the maximum jail term goes up to three years.

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Aiders and abettors are equally liable.

Employers face the more severe penalty of up to 10 years in jail, and a maximum fine of $500,000.

The High Court also mandates immediate custodial sentence for those found engaging, abetting or contracting illegal work.

Pinay jailed after her bank account is used in love scam

 

File photo

An online romance scam in which a local woman was tricked by her supposed “boyfriend” into forking over $868,847.54 to a syndicate, has led to a Filipina being jailed for five months and two weeks for money laundering.

Nhona Esmana, a 37-year-old unemployed recognizance form holder, pleaded guilty last Jan. 5 to dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense, contrary to sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

Recounting details of the case at Kwun Tong Court on Friday (Jan. 23), Magistrate Lau Suk-han said the online “boyfriend” repeatedly asked for money from the victim, who in turn made 44 deposits into Esmana’s Hang Seng Bank account, from March 13 to June 4, 2020.

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Of the $868,847.57 deposited, $868,900 was taken out through 57 withdrawals using Esmana’s ATM card.

When the victim could no longer contact her “boyfriend”, she complained to the police, Magistrate Lau said.

There was no evidence Esmana got the money, she added, but the use of her bank account to launder it made her culpable.

Esmana’s lawyer, in mitigation, explained that her ATM card was borrowed by her “boyfriend” and she had no idea that it ended up being used in the scam.

He claimed she emailed the bank that she had lost the ATM card, but Magistrate Lau noted that the bank denied receiving the report.

In sentencing, Magistrate Lau chose a starting point of nine months. Esmana’s guilty plea entitled her to a one-third discount, for a sentence of six months.

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She gave another two weeks’ discount for the delay in prosecuting Esmana, resulting in a final sentence of five months and two weeks.

Esmana was arrested on April 28, 2022 but was charged in court only on Nov. 24, 2025. The prosecution did not explain the delay.

3 months’ jail for Pinay who claims parents’ flooded home forced her to steal

 

 Kwun Tong Court

The flood control scandal in the Philippines found its way to the Kwun Tong Court today when a Filipina domestic helper pleaded guilty to theft, saying flood damage on her parents’ house that needed fixing drove her to steal $6,000 from her employers.

As a result, Michelle Navarro, 42 years old, was convicted of theft, contrary to section 9 of the Theft Ordinance, and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, which was left after taking out the one-third discount she was entitled to for her guilty plea.

Navarro had admitted stealing $5,000 last Jan. 9 and $1,000 on Jan. 21 in a house at The Terraces, Lam Ha Road, Tseung Kwan O.

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Principal Magistrate May Chung noted that this was a breach of confidence case, which worsened the offense.

She noted that Navarro’s employer Edmond So testified that he usually put money in his wallet, which he kept in his bedroom, and discovered one day that $5,000 was missing.

He subsequently had a CCTV installed and when another $1,000 went missing, he checked the video, which showed Navarro taking the bill from his wallet and inserting it in her bra.

When confronted, she admitted taking the money, and led them to the stolen $5,000 kept in a box inside the toilet, although she had spent the $1,000.

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In mitigation, Navarro’s duty lawyer appealed to Magistrate Chung to be lenient in sentencing her, saying he was under pressure to send money to her family to repair the flood-damaged home of her parents, who were looking after her three children aged 21, 16 and 12.

He said she was the sole breadwinner of the family. He did not mention where in the Philippines they are located.

 

Filipina charged with laundering HK$6.4 M in 8 banks

 

Tainted money laundered through banks is withdrawn using ATM cards (File photo)

A Filipina who used to work as a domestic helper appeared unrepresented in District Court on Thursday, charged with laundering a total of about HK$6.45 million using eight different bank accounts.

Vermadel P.Canonero, 48 years old, is also accused of overstaying her visa for about four months, until her arrest in March last year.

District Judge Stanley Chan adjourned the case until April 28, and remanded the Filipina in jail until then.

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The charges against Canonero show what appears to be the longest money laundering activity ever linked to a foreign domestic worker, spanning a period of more than two years, or from Apr 16, 2022 to Nov. 13, 2024. The total amount involved was HK$6,448,441.26 

She allegedly opened her first bank account with Mox Bank on Apr 16, 2022, and kept it active until July 13, 2024. During that period, tainted money totaling $3,053,717.57 allegedly passed through the account.

The second charge involves a ZA Bank account in her name, where a total of $775,475.86 in illicit money was allegedly funneled between Nov. 23 2023 and Jun 9, 2024.

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Between Mar 4, 2024 and Apr 22, 2024, she is also accused of allowing an account in her name at digital services company HKT Payment Ltd to be used in laundering a total of $766,823.34.

Between Mar 27, 2024 and Nov. 13, 2024, another account in her name with China Citic Bank was allegedly used to launder a total of $261,626.80.

Between Mar 25, 2024 and Jul 5, 2024 she also allegedly caused a total of $536,919.61 to be laundered in her account with Airstar Bank, Ltd.

Between Apr 8 and 18, 2024, she also allegedly used her account with Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation to launder $229,300.

Between Apr 8, 2024 and Jul 4, 2024 she is charged with laundering a total of $345,000 using her account with Bank of China.

Finally, she is accused of using her Livi Bank account to launder a total of $479,548.09 between May 22, 2024 and Aug 12, 2024.

A ninth charge pertains to her alleged breach of her visa condition by overstaying. She was said to have been permitted to remain in Hong Kong only until Nov. 18, 2024 but stayed until her arrest on Mar 17 last year.

Verdadero was originally charged at the magistrate’s court, but the discovery of more bank accounts in her name where the alleged tainted money had passed through, resulted in her case being elevated to the District Court.

Money laundering, or what is formally known as “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence,” in violation sections 2(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, is punishable with a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment and fine of up to $5 million.

Court rejects $50K bail offer of Pinay accused of assaulting baby

 

Community where crime was allegedly committed (Google Maps photo)

The 28-year-old Filipina domestic helper arrested for brain injuries sustained by a four-month-old baby in her care, was returned to jail after her offer of $50,000 cash bail was rejected during her first hearing today at Fanling Court.

Acting Principal Magistrate Veronica Heung adjourned the case to April 9 against the Filipina, identified only as A.J.R.E.N., and remanded her in jail, saying she was facing a serious charge and lacked local ties that would ensure she would return to the court.

Magistrate Heung agreed with the prosecutor who said the baby was so badly injured and had a slim chance of surviving at the Intensive Care Unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital, that the charge against A.J.R.E.N. may have to be upgraded from the present “assault by those in charge of child or young person,” contrary to section 27(1) of the Offenses Against the Person Ordinance.

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The prosecutor’s objection to her bail prevailed despite additional conditions offered by Yasmin Zahir, the lawyer hired by the Migrant Workers’ Office at the Consulate, such as reporting regularly to a police station, not leaving Hong Kong, not going back to the place of offense and not contacting the baby’s parents.

The lawyer added that since A.J.R.E.N. would be staying at a shelter operated by the Philippine Consulate in Kennedy Town, her presence in future court dates would be ensured. However, she failed to convince the magistrate.

No other details of the case were made available, with Zahir asking for transcripts and copy of the video-recorded interview conducted by police on the Filipina.

In court to lend support to the Filipina was the newly installed Philippine Labor Attache to Hong Kong, Cesar L. Chavez, Jr.

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The police complaint alleged that the Filipina , “being a person over the age of 16 years who had the custody, charge or care of boy X, a child aged 4 months, did willfully assault the said boy X in a manner likely to cause the said boy X unnecessary suffering or injury to her health.”

The alleged assault took place last Jan. 18 at the employer’s flat in Tsiu Keng village, on Fan Kam Road, Fanling.

Police said in a news briefing yesterday that the baby was taken to North District Hospital early on Sunday where the brain injuries were discovered.

He was immediately transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital for emergency surgery, and remains in intensive care.

CCTV footage from the family’s home reportedly showed the Filipina harming the infant in the early hours of Sunday. 

But the police said the home surveillance camera covered only the living room area, and no severe abuse was seen in the footage from the past few days.

Read previous reporting here: https://www.sunwebhk.com/2026/01/filipina-dh-faces-child-abuse-rap-after.html

Filipina DH faces child abuse rap after 4-month-old ward found with brain injuries

 

Police officers say the Filipina DH was arrested along with her Indonesian co-worker

A 28-year-old Filipina domestic helper is due to be charged at Fan Ling court today with ill-treatment of a child, after a four-month-old infant she had been looking after was found with brain injuries and had to undergo emergency surgery. 

The boy’s 16-month-old brother is also in hospital, after reportedly being found with bruises at the family’s residence in Sheung Shui.

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A 45-year-old Indonesian DH who was employed in the same household for about six months was also arrested but remains under police investigation.

Police said in a press briefing on Wednesday that the boys were under the care of both helpers, who were arrested on Tuesday.

The officers said they received a report from Prince of Wales Hospital on Sunday after doctors found suspicious injuries on the infant, including bleeding in the brain and retina, which were consistent with what is commonly known as “shaken baby syndrome.”

Photo uploaded online by someone claiming to be the baby's father

The baby was taken to North District Hospital earlier that day where the brain injuries were discovered. He was transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital for emergency surgery and is now in stable condition, but remains in intensive care.

CCTV footage from the family’s home reportedly showed the Filipina who had been employed at the household for three months, harming the infant in the early hours of Sunday. She is also suspected of injuring the older boy.

But the police said the home surveillance camera covered only the living room area, and no severe abuse was seen in the footage from the past few days.

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They added doctors have indicated that injuries associated with “shaken baby syndrome” do not occur from a single incident.

The police said medical experts will be consulted on how the injuries were inflicted, and whether there are indications of prolonged abuse.

Ongoing investigations will also include a check on the family background and caregiving arrangements.

The police did not comment on a social media post by someone claiming to be the boys’ father who said his baby was rushed to hospital after he was found unresponsive by the younger helper.

The home CCTV allegedly showed the Filipina shaking the baby and grabbing him by the neck.

The police briefing on the case was held just one day after the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance came into effect.

The Ordinance mandates 25 categories of specified professionals, including doctors and social workers, to report as soon as practicable any suspected case of child abuse encountered in the  the course of their work.

Any specified professional who fails to comply could be jailed for up to three months and fined up to $50,000.

 

Ex-DH gets 4 months’ jail for HK$38K theft

 

Fairview Park in Yuen Long

A Filipina who lost her job after being charged with stealing HK$38,046 in valuables from her employer's flat, has been jailed for four months after pleading guilty at Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts.

Lerma Sanchez, aged 32 years and has no fixed abode in Hong Kong, was returned to jail where she has been detained since the charges were filed last November.

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With deductions from her sentence such as holidays and others allowed by law, she is expected to be released shortly.

Acting Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang handed down the sentence on Tuesday (Jan. 20), told Sanchez that the offense is serious because it involved breaching the trust of her employer Lee Pui-shan, who allowed her into their home.

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A police complaint charged her with violating section 9 of the Theft Ordinance for taking 30 cash vouchers, a letter from an insurance company and four gold accessories -- two gold pendants, a necklace, and a ring –with a total value of HK$38,046.

The offense took place between September 2024 and September 2025 at her employer’s house in Fairview Park, Yuen Long.

45 months in jail for Filipina in $5.3M money laundering case

 

Defendant's Standard Chartered account was used to launder $5.3M in tainted money

By Daisy CL Mandap

Harsher penalties being sought by the Hong Kong police in cases of money laundering have resulted in a Filipina domestic helper being sentenced Tuesday to 45 months’ imprisonment for her role in the laundering of more than HK$5 million in tainted money.

The sentence was the highest ever imposed on a foreign domestic worker implicated in a money laundering case, and it was partly the result of a request from the police for an “enhancement” of sentences imposed in crimes of this nature.

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In sentencing Ma Rochel C. Fuentes, Deputy District Judge Tim Casewell used a starting point of 39 months’ imprisonment, then added six more months in response to the enhancement request from the police contained in a letter sent on Dec 21 last year.

Judge Casewell noted that police statistics furnished the court showed a “plateauing” in the number of money laundering cases last year, but said he was still bound to impose a sentence that will serve as a deterrent to others.

The sentence meant that Fuentes, who is 37 years old and has been detained since two years ago, will have to remain in jail for at least six more months, assuming she gets a 1/3 discount for good behavior.

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Fuentes was found guilty after trial on one count of money laundering, legally described as “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence, contrary to section 25 (1) and (3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, Cap. 455.”

She was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport on Jan. 26, 2024, as she was about to board an Air Asia flight to Manila. She told friends and relatives that she was going home to wait for her new employment visa after being made redundant in her previous job.

Her arrest came after a total of $666,300 in tainted money was initially found in her Standard Chartered Bank account number 978-8-718887-1.

Subsequent investigations showed the money that passed through her account from Apr 1-17, 2023 was actually much more. The updated calculation showed it to be a total of $3,758,465.59, resulting in the transfer of her case from the magistracy to the District Court.

Then, further inquiries revealed that the illicit money had flowed in and out of her account much earlier. From March 20 to April 17, 2023, the total amount came up to $5,391,996.74.

After her arrest, Fuentes told the police she was not the one who opened the Standard Chartered bank account. She said the only account she had was with the Philippine National Bank.

Fuentes said an acquaintance gave her $410 and asked for a copy of her HKID card, saying it was for a game. But after she received the money, she said this unknown person blocked her on Facebook.

Initially, she indicated she wanted to plead guilty to the offence so she could benefit from a reduced sentence. But she subsequently changed her mind, insisting she had no knowledge of any of  the illicit transactions made using the bank account opened in her name.

Commenting on this, Judge Casewell said he accepted that Fuentes played a minimal role in the money laundering and that she received only a small amount for this.

But, said the judge, it was clear that the defendant knew that the account opened in her name would be used for the processing of tainted money.

Not only did she provide her HKID card, she also took a selfie which was part of the process of opening the account.

“She must have known what was taking place,” said the judge. “I do not accept that it was for a game.”

Judge Casewell said that in sentencing he took note of Fuentes’ clear record, of her being a single mother with two children aged 16 and 15 years old, that she finished high school and worked in a factory before going abroad to work as a domestic helper.

 

Police confirm arrest for assault of Filipina's employer in viral video

 

Still from the video taken near Olympic MTR station

Hong Kong Police have confirmed the arrest last Thursday of the employer of a Filipina helper seen on various videos uploaded online being apparently assaulted, but said the suspect was released on police bail afterwards..

The confirmation of the arrest came five days after the videos were posted, including the last one taken just outside the Olympic MTR station where the employer was seen slapping and pulling the hair of the Filipina, oblivious to the people passing by and shouting for the police to be called.

Subsequent footage showed rescuers at the scene talking to the Filipina, while one officer could be seen talking to the employer on the other side.

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In an email sent to The SUN earlier today, Tuesday, the police said they received a report at about 11:30am on Jan. 15 of a woman “suspected of assaulting a foreign woman by hand near MTR Olympic Station.”

The police said the 58-year-old local woman was arrested for common assault but was later released on bail and is required to report back in mid-February.

The Filipina, described in the police report as a “33-year-old foreign woman” was sent to Kwong Wah Hospital for a medical check-up.

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The investigation by the police in Mong Kok is said to be underway.

The police report came after Philippine Migrant Workers Secretary Hans J. Cacdac issued a statement Monday night saying the Filipina migrant worker called “Bernadette” was being assisted in her case by the Migrant Workers Office in Hong Kong.

Cacdac said the worker was to be accompanied to the police station today “for the formal investigation” by Hong Kong Labor Attache Cesar L. Chavez, Jr and a lawyer.

Cacdac (centre) says 'Bernadette' is getting full assitance from the MWO

The statement also said that after learning about the alleged assault, a team from the MWO sought out Bernadette and took her to a hospital for a medical examination, then to a “protected” shelter where she is now staying.

Bernadette is said to remain under observation while waiting for her medical results.

Based on several other videos that surfaced online, the worker was apparently assaulted at least twice before by her employer, one inside a mall just before the MTR incident, and another inside a house.

Netizens claiming to be her friend said Bernadette had been working for her employer for just a month.

DH gets 23 months for stealing 10 watches, then claiming burglary

 

Estate where theft took place

By Leo A. Deocadiz

A domestic helper who stole 10 wristwatches from her employer and then tried to cover it up by claiming a burglar had entered their house from the roof of their three-floor house, was jailed for 23 months today at the District Court.

Vanessa Vallespin, 39 years old, tearfully confirmed she understood the sentence when asked by Deputy District Judge Pang Leung-ting.

The sentence came after she pleaded guilty last Jan. 7 to two counts of theft, contrary to section 9 of the Theft Ordinance, and to having "knowingly misled" a police officer by giving false information that the house was broken into, contrary to section 64(b) of the Police Force Ordinance.

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In the first charge, Vallespin was convicted of stealing a Rolex Daytona watch worth $200,000 from her male employer Gary Lau at Sunderland Estate in Kowloon Tong on Dec. 2, 2024. Two days later, she stole nine more watches worth $599,780, for the second conviction.

As recounted by Judge Pang, the thefts were discovered on Dec. 4 after Vallespin called his employer to say that she found the door leading to the roof of their house’s third floor, as well as a drawer in the master’s bedroom, had heen opened.

During investigation at the Hunghom police station, she told a police officer that their house in Sunderland Estate on Hereford Road, Kowloon Tong, had been burgled.

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But she later confessed that she stole the Rolex Daytona watch and pawned it, then stole nine more watches of various luxury brands two days later.

All the watches have been subsequently recovered -- the Rolex was retrieved from a pawnshop in Central and the nine other watches were found in a bag which she hid among plants in their garden. 

Judge Pang acknowledged the defense lawyer’s mitigation that in the end, the employer suffered no loss, that Vallespin confessed to the crime, that the crime was due to poor judgment rather than malice to the employers, that she was nervous when she gave misleading information to police, and that she had apologized to her employers.

He also noted that she thought of stealing the watches to be able to pay off a $30,000 loan she took to help out a friend, a certain Mary Ann, who needed money to go to Albania to work but who later abandoned the promise to pay her back.

Judge Pang said that if sentencing guidelines were followed for each of the items stolen, the total would be 40 months. Instead, he chose a starting point of 33 months, from which he deducted one third or 11 months.

For misleading the police, he chose a starting point of three months, of which only one month was added to Vallespin’s sentence for theft -- for an overall total of 23 months.