Court Told Tony Chung May Plead Guilty To Secession

The District Court on Tuesday heard that former student activist Tony Chung may plead guilty to secession and one count of money laundering.

The former convenor of the now-disbanded pro-independence group Studentlocalism is accused of secession, conspiracy to publish seditious material, and two counts of money laundering.

The 20-year-old is accused of organising, planning, committing or participating in acts with other people with a view to commit secession between July 1 and October 27 last year. The prosecution alleges that Chung committed seditious acts between April 29 and October 27 last year.

Chung’s money laundering charges are related to around HK$710,000 which prosecutors allege he held in PayPal and HSBC accounts between 2018 and 2020.

Just before the trial was set to begin, the prosecution told the court that it had reached a plea bargain with the defence.

But Chung’s lawyer, Edwin Choy, said he needed more time to advise and take instructions from his client, as he had only just received the prosecution's amended documents.

Judge Stanley Chan then decided to adjourn the hearing until Wednesday morning, ordering that Chung be remanded in custody.