IPAC Parliamentarians Call on HSBC to Unfreeze Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist’s Accounts
A group of over 50 legislators representing 16 legislatures have written to HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker criticising the bank for its freezing of bank accounts belonging to activists associated with Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The parliamentarians call for the unfreezing of accounts belonging to exiled former legislator Ted Hui and his family.
The letter, a copy of which is below, highlights HSBC’s role in the freezing of Hui and his family’s accounts with the bank. The parliamentarians claim that HSBC has failed to give evidence of any court order or police warrant to carry out this action and have refused to publicly respond to concerns raised by Hui and his family. The letter also cites the case of Good Neighbour North District church, whose accounts were frozen by HSBC after vocal support for pro-democracy movements.
The letter is signed by members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international cross-party network of legislators pushing for governments to take a tougher stance on China. Prominent signatories include Australian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching, former leader of the UK Conservative Party Sir Iain Duncan-Smith MP, German Greens MEP Reinhard Bütikofer and French En Marche! Senator André Gattolin. Uffe Elbæk and Katarina Ammitzbøll, two Danish parliamentarians who the Hong Kong authorities are considering prosecuting for their role in the escape of Ted Hui to Denmark, also signed the letter. A full list of signatories is attached.
The letter calls on HSBC to:
- Immediately unfreeze all HSBC accounts belonging to Ted Hui and his family.
- Provide a formal explanation for the decisions to freeze and re-freeze the accounts.
- Publicly commit to protecting the access to funds of individuals and their families subject to politically motivated charges issued by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
FULL TEXT OF LETTER AND SIGNATORIES
Dear Mr Tucker,
We, members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, are writing to raise our objection to the freezing of bank accounts belonging to former Hong Kong legislator Ted Hui and his family by HSBC.
Hui, a former pro-democrat member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, fled the city after enduring political persecution at the hand of the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. On the 4th of December 2020, the first day of his exile, his and his family’s Hong Kong HSBC bank accounts were frozen without notice. The incident was widely exposed by Hong Kong and international media, followed by a brief unfreezing of the accounts. On the 7th of December 2020, while denying the fact that his family members’ accounts had ever been frozen, HSBC again froze the accounts of Hui and his family members after receiving an instruction from the Hong Kong Police. Today, all HSBC bank accounts of Hui and his family are still frozen.
The Hong Kong Police have accused Hui of misappropriating funds and money laundering in politically motivated charges targeting a crowdfunding appeal for lawsuits against police brutality set up by Hui. Notably, HSBC has failed to give evidence of any court order or warrant sought by the police in freezing bank accounts of his and his family members.
It is also highly concerning that Hui’s family members’ HSBC accounts are frozen, despite not having been subject to any charges by the Hong Kong authorities. In doing so HSBC has compromised clients’ assets and private property rights without regard to the law and due procedures. Until now, HSBC has failed to respond to Hui’s family’s formal complaints or explain the matter in open air.
We also note that shortly after freezing Hui’s family’s accounts, HSBC also froze bank accounts of a Hong Kong charity and Christian church that supported the 2019 democracy movement in Hong Kong, as well as the bank accounts of individual preachers from the same church.
The incidents above are not detrimental only to Hui and his family’s well being but also gravely tarnish HSBC’s reputation as a socially responsible enterprise operating under the rule of law. These actions undermine the open societies and free economies that underpin HSBC’s success.
As Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings, we call on you to:
- Immediately unfreeze all HSBC accounts belonging to Ted Hui and his family.
- Provide a formal explanation for the decisions to freeze and re-freeze the accounts.
- Publicly commit to protecting the access to funds of individuals and their families subject to politically motivated charges issued by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
Yours sincerely,
Sen. Eric Abetz (Australia)
George Christensen MP (Australia)
Sen. Kimberley Kitching MP (Australia)
David Smith MP (Australia)
James Bezan MP (Canada)
Hon. Irwin Cotler (Canada)
Sen. Pierre J. Dalphond (Canada)
Tom Kmiec MP (Canada)
Sen. Pavel Fischer (Czechia)
František Kopřiva MP (Czechia)
Helena Langšádlová MP (Czechia)
Jan Lipavský MP (Czechia)
Uffe Elbæk MP (Denmark)
Katarina Ammitzbøll MP (Denmark)
Samuel Cogolati MP (Belgium)
Georges Dallemagne MP (Belgium)
Reinhard Bütikofer MEP (EU)
François-Xavier Bellamy MEP (EU)
Engin Eroglu MEP (EU)
Anna Fotyga MEP (EU)
Sandro Gozi MEP (EU)
Miriam Lexmann MEP (EU)
Sen. Olivier Cadic (France)
Frédérique Dumas MP (France)
Sen. André Gattolin (France)
Margarete Bause MdB (Germany)
Michael Brand MdB (Germany)
Gyde Jensen MdB (Germany)
Daniela De Ridder MdB (Germany)
Sen. Roberto Rampi (Italy)
Dovilė Šakalienė (Lithuania)
Martijn van Helvert MP (Netherlands)
Louisa Wall MP (New Zealand)
Trine Skei Grande MP (Norway)
Michael Tetzschner (Norway)
David Josefsson MP (Sweden)
Elisabet Lann (Sweden)
Fabian Molina MP (Switzerland)
Franziska Ryser (Switzerland)
Nicolas Walder MP (Switzerland)
Imran Ahmad Khan MP (UK)
Chris Bryant MP (UK)
Alistair Carmichael MP (UK)
Iain Duncan Smith MP (UK)
Baroness Helena Kennedy (UK)
Timothy Loughton MP (UK)
Craig Mackinlay MP (UK)
Shabana Mahmood MP (UK)
Siobhain McDonagh MP (UK)
Layla Moran MP (UK)
Tom Randall MP (UK)
Bob Seely MP (UK)
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