London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Hong Kong church that helped protesters sees bank accounts frozen

Hong Kong church that helped protesters sees bank accounts frozen

The Good Neighbour North District Church says its funds came from legal donors, calling the move an ‘act of political retaliation’ for its activism.

At least three HSBC accounts affiliated with a Hong Kong Christian church have been frozen, a move the organisation called an “act of political retaliation” for its support for protesters during last year’s social unrest.

But police said an investigation into money laundering and fraud was under way, involving the Good Neighbour North District Church and how it had received HK$27 million in donations over more than a year but only publicly declared less than a third of the amount.

The church said in the early hours of Tuesday that its bank account, and those of pastor Roy Chan Hoi-hing and his wife, had been frozen without prior notification or justification.

Chan said the accounts were frozen while he and his family of five were on sabbatical in Britain, leaving them penniless.

Acting senior superintendent of the Narcotics Bureau’s financial investigation unit, Chow Cheung-yau, said on Tuesday evening that police told the bank on Monday to freeze five accounts involving HK$25 million on suspicion of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

Two Hong Kong women, aged 24 and 37, were also arrested on Tuesday in relation to the allegations. The younger suspect is a former director of the church, while the other is an existing employee.

Chow said the Chans, who are director and company secretary of the church, were wanted. The couple left Hong Kong in mid-October.

“We are chasing the flow of the money,” he added.

The police investigation is centred on online crowdfunding activities. Chow said police found that the church received HK$27 million in donations between June last year and September this year, and that it only publicly announced that HK$8.9 million was raised.

“We also found some spending did not match the original planned use of funds,” he said.

The church earlier said in a statement that the frozen accounts could be related to its Safeguard Our Generation ministry, an initiative in which middle-aged and elderly volunteers offered humanitarian aid to frontline protesters last year.


Good Neighbour North District Church pastor Roy Chan, who organised groups of older residents to look after young anti-government protesters last year.


Volunteers of the ministry, more commonly referred to as “Protect the Children”, had attempted to mediate between protesters and police to de-escalate tensions during the protests.

“This is no doubt an act of political retaliation,” the church said in its statement, condemning HSBC. “The purge has never ceased, just like the asset-freezing case of the self-exiled [former] Democrat, Ted Hui and his family. Such [an] incident has severely eradicated dissent in Hong Kong, suppressing freedom among religions and community service workers.”

Hui, who recently jumped bail in Hong Kong to go into self-exile in Britain, has been engaged in a war of words with police over the freezing of bank accounts belonging to him, his wife and his parents at HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Bank of China. Police said Hui and his family’s accounts were frozen as part of an investigation into money-laundering allegations also stemming from a crowdfunding campaign.


Self-exiled former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui has also seen his and his family’s bank accounts frozen in recent days.


An HSBC representative said it was unable to comment on matters concerning specific accounts.

“We have to abide by the laws of the jurisdiction in which we operate,” the bank said. “Further inquiry should be directed to the related law enforcement agency.”

It is understood that Chan is one of the main holders of the church account.

Chan said he and his family were unable to return to Hong Kong, and that the trip to Britain was meant to be a working holiday.

“My family is with me right now in the UK, having a few months of vacation and looking at the chances of planting a church here,” he said. “My family of five is living on an empty wallet, and we are still figuring how we can take care of our kids, including one who is seven months old, and sustain our living here.”

Meanwhile, the church criticised HSBC for “exploiting the well-established independent financial system and sabotaging the benefits of individuals and groups of Hong Kong, as well as foreign investors within the territory”.

The church, which is registered as a charity, said the freezing of its account would force the immediate termination of its hostel services for the homeless. The church runs hostels in North district, Yuen Long and Kwun Tong that serve more than 70 people with the assistance of social workers.

“During the pandemic, the Social Welfare Department has approached our church several times, aiming to look for accommodation for the homeless. Freezing the church account would lead to immediate termination of the hostel service, inevitably forcing the homeless to be homeless again,” the church said, adding that its funds were raised from legal donations.

The church has launched a petition calling on HSBC to restore the bank accounts in question, attracting more than 19,400 signatures as of 9.15pm.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×