Govt accuses association of 'harbouring fugitives'

The government has accused a charity that runs a college helping young people quit drugs of harbouring former directors on the police's wanted list. In January, the authorities arrested four directors of the Christian Zheng Sheng Association on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. Three others who were not in Hong Kong were put on the wanted list. The government on Tuesday said narcotics officials have met the association's directors, but the board members' words do not match their actions. Authorities questioned the directors' claim that they have cut ties with former college head Alman Chan and founder Jacob Lam. "In fact, the two on the wanted list [Chan and Lam] are still directors of Christian Zheng Sheng Association Ltd and/or Zheng Sheng Charity Fund Limited under the association, and they can even operate the bank accounts under the association and its subsidiary companies," the government said in a statement. A government spokesman said the board passed a motion not to recover millions of dollars the college had raised, which the two had allegedly transferred overseas. He said this is suspicious, and also shows that the board had no intention of helping students at the college. The government said law enforcement officers will investigate the matter.