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A domestic helper who claimed she threw away her ATM card that ended up being used for money laundering, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty at Easterm Court to dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence
Chery Morbo, 31 years old, had reported to police that her HSBC
account, opened in August 2024, was used for laundering $132,100 after five
deposits and nine withdrawals were reported to her by her bank over a five-day
period.
She was arrested four months later and had been in remand
for four months.
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| PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE |
In sentencing, Principal Magistrate David Cheung set a
starting point of 18 months’ jail and deducted one-third as a discount for her
guilty plea.
Morbo was charged with violating sections 25 (1) and 25 (3)
of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, because $132,100 in crime money passed
though her bank account between Feb. 17 and 22, 2025.
“This is a case of
being taken advantage of,” her lawyer said. He said she did not operate the account
and there was no evidence she knew the predicate offense (from which the money
was derived by persons unknown).
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Still, he said, she was remorseful for the crime, and was
aware that this ended her work opportunity in Hong Kong.
After graduating from college with an economics degree, she
worked in Jordan and Saudi Arabia before coming to Hong Kong.
