2004-09-17 18:41 Police today (September 17) charged a 46-year-old Nigerian man, suspected to be a senior member of an international Nigerian e-mail fraud syndicate, with money laundering offences. Police enquiries revealed that a resident of the United States of America received e-mail in 2003 which said that he was the subject of a multi-million US dollar inheritance estate and that the money would be released to him via a bank account in Hong Kong. He was told once he paid the relevant stamp duty according to Hong Kong Law, he would receive the inheritance. Between February and March this year, the victim was induced to deposit a total of HK$1.23 million into a bank account in Hong Kong. After extensive investigation by officers of the Commercial Crime Bureau and with the assistance of certain banks in Hong Kong, the Nigerian man was arrested on September 15. The man was today charged with three counts of dealing in property knowing or believing it to be proceeds of an indictable offence. He will appear at Eastern Magistrates' Courts for trial tomorrow (September 18). A Police spokesman reminded members of the public not to give money to any person who is of suspicious origin. |