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| Tang (in red shirt) is met on his arrival in Hong Kong by his elder brother |
A Hong Kong man who spent 26 years in jail in the Philippines after being found guilty of possessing nearly 8 kilos of the drug, “ice”, returned to Hong Kong early on Tuesday, accompanied by Immigration Department officers.
Tang Lung-wai, who
is now 55, was met by his elder brother on his arrival from Manila. He was originally sentenced to life imprisonment in the Philippines.
In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Tang reportedly said when asked how he felt about being back home, "After spending 26 years in hell, I am unflappable."
His family had sought
help from Hong Kong authorities last month after being told that Tang’s sentence
was considered to have been served after taking into consideration a good
conduct time allowance. However, he could not be released immediately
because of lengthy administrative procedures.
In a press release, the Immigration Department said that on learning that Tang had already completed his sentence, they immediately worked with the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines so he could be issued with the document needed for his release and repatriation.
Immigration officers were also sent to the Philippines to work on the repatriation arrangements and escort Tang back to the Hong Kong.
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| Immigration officers accompanied Tang on his flight out of Manila |
Philippine court records show that Tang was arrested by Philippine police officers on July 18, 2000, along with fellow Chinese nationals Cheung Tai On and Sek Hung Goh Patrick, during a raid on a condominium unit in Quezon City.
Found inside the
unit was methamphetamine hydrochloride (ice or shabu in the Philippines) weighing
a total of 7,918.90 grams.
Tang, Cheung ang Goh were subsequently charged with illegal drug possession in violation of Sec. 16, Article III of Republic Act No 6425 (as amended) and were put on trial after they denied the charge.
On Oct. 26, 2011
the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City found Tang and Cheung guilty as charged
and sentenced to life imprisonment and to pay a fine of Php500,000. Goh was
acquitted for insufficiency of evidence.
The two appealed
the decision, but the same was denied by the Court of Appeals on July 14, 2017. Tang’s appeal was dismissed for lack of
merit, while Cheung’s was discharged on account of his death.
Tang then went on
to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court, citing alleged errors of facts and
of law committed by the RTC and the CA. He claimed he had been framed, and was taken
to the condominium unit after being arrested elsewhere.
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| Immigration officers set up a chat with Tang's family before his return |
But in a judgment
handed down on Nov 17, 2019, the Supreme Court upheld the earlier decisions,
saying that the considerable quantity of the drugs seized rendered Tang’s claim
that they had been planted to frame him “difficult to believe.”
In the absence of
strong and convincing evidence to the contrary, “the presumption of regularity
in the performance of official duty and the principle that the findings of the
trial court on the credibility of witnesses are entitled to great respect (and)
should prevail over bare denials and self-serving claims,” said the SC.
The SC ordered the
appellant to pay costs as a result of the dismissal.
(The full decision by the Philippine Supreme Court on the appeal can be found here: https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/1/66124)
