The bank accounts of Xu Zhifeng and his family in Hong Kong are believed to have been frozen again.

Former Hong Kong lawmaker Xu Zhifeng, who lives in exile overseas, says his and his family’s bank accounts in Hong Kong have once again been frozen.

It was reported earlier that HSBC received another notice from the police on Monday morning (December 7, 2020) to freeze the bank accounts of Xu’s parents and wife. Later, RTHK reported that Koh confirmed that his bank account had been frozen again when he responded to a radio inquiry that day.

Xu Zhifeng said earlier that his and his family’s bank accounts had been frozen, and later updated that all of his family’s HSBC bank accounts had been unfrozen, and that his own account had been partially unfrozen as well. He said at the time that the blocking of bank accounts was “clearly a political retaliation by the regime for economic oppression, and the use of guilt-by-association to suppress my family’s voices of opposition”, and that the incident reflected the fact that under the National Security Law, banks can freeze citizens’ assets at will due to political pressure, which seriously impacts the credibility of Hong Kong’s banking and financial system and violates the Hong Kong Basic Law. The government’s proposal to freeze the private property of citizens and legal entities under the “Protection of Private Property of Citizens and Legal Entities” Act.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po was reluctant to comment directly on the freezing of the bank accounts of Xu Zhifeng and his family during his testimony at the Legislative Council on Monday, but stressed that Hong Kong’s position as a financial center remains solid.

An HSBC spokesman said the bank must operate in compliance with local laws and regulations. Hang Seng Bank and Bank of China, where Xu also has accounts, have not commented on the matter.

Hong Kong police issued a statement on Sunday, without naming a Hong Kong resident who has fled abroad, to explain the freezing of his bank account. The man is suspected of embezzling funds obtained through an online crowdfunding campaign and using a relative’s account to handle the funds, as well as colluding with foreign powers to endanger national security. The police are searching for the fugitive, tracing the whereabouts of the funds and freezing the accounts of the suspects, who are suspected of violating the “National Security Law” and money laundering.

Xu Zhifeng said that the money he raised last year for the prosecution of police brutality was deposited in the bank account of the law firm, the audit report has been fully disclosed, the money has nothing to do with his personal accounts and those of his family.

On December 3, the then Democratic Party member of the Central and Western District Council of Hong Kong, Hui Chi-fung, announced during a visit to Denmark that he would go into exile and vowed to continue to speak out for democracy and freedom in Hong Kong overseas.