A Wang Fuk Court resident who advocated for the rights of fellow fire victims has been charged with fraud and money laundering along with his wife, more than three months after the couple were arrested.

Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong in his new temporary housing unit in Hung Shui Kiu following the deadly Tai Po Fire. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Police said on Sunday that Jason Kong and his wife, Rosanna Cheung, will appear at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

The pair face two counts of conspiracy to defraud and one count of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence – known commonly as money laundering.

They were arrested for alleged government loan fraud in May, two weeks after Kong delivered a petition urging the estate’s administrator to meet with homeowners.

The couple, both directors of an interior design company, are alleged to have used fraudulent means to obtain several hundred thousand dollars in loans under the government’s Special 100% Loan Guarantee scheme.

The scheme was launched by the Hong Kong government in early 2020 to help companies amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shatin Magistrates’ Courts. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP.

Following their release from Tsuen Wan Police Station two days after their arrest, Kong said he would no longer be speaking to the press.

An outspoken victim

The couple are both survivors of the blaze that tore through Wang Fuk Court in November last year, claiming 168 lives and displacing thousands from the Tai Po estate.

Kong, who was a member of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation management committee at the time of the inferno, was initially outspoken about the tragedy. He urged the government to investigate the fire’s causes and to consider on-site redevelopment, a proposal supported by some residents but rejected by authorities.

Kong also testified before an independent committee investigating the blaze in April, saying that government agencies had “failed in their duties” despite receiving complaints about the renovation project at the estate.

Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong (left), one of the petition organisers, delivers their demands and the handwritten signatures to Hop On Management, a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group, on April 29, 2026. Photo: Supplied.

On April 29, Kong delivered a petition with 247 signatories to the government-appointed administrator of Wang Fuk Court, Hop On Management, calling on the firm to hold a general meeting with homeowners to discuss long-term resettlement and related financial matters.

Hop On later applied to extend the statutory deadline for holding an owners’ meeting, citing the need for more time to verify owners’ signatures and find a suitable venue. The Lands Tribunal, which deals with legal disputes over land, rejected Hop On’s application.

In late July, Hop On hosted the long-awaited general meeting across four different venues. However, homeowners told HKFP that the company’s representatives “evaded all questions.”