A Wang Fuk Court resident arrested on fraud and money laundering charges after advocating for the rights of fellow fire victims will have his case transferred to a higher court.

Jason Kong, 64, and his wife Rosanna Cheung, 62, arrived at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday morning, two days after police pressed charges against them.

Jason Wong appears at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts on September 1, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

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.

The prosecution applied to transfer the case to the District Court. The couple will be summoned to court again on October 6, with the prosecution to prepare transfer documents in the meantime.

They face up to seven years’ jail with their case being moved to the District Court, more than double of if their case proceeded at the magistrate level, where the maximum prison sentence that can be delivered is three years when dealing with more than offence.

The two defendants were granted bail on a HK$10,000 cash bond. They were ordered to reside at their reported address, not leave Hong Kong, not contact prosecution witnesses, and report to a police station once a week.

According to a court document, Kong and Cheung, both directors of an interior design and engineering company, were charged with presenting false documents to HSBC in 2022.

These were allegedly used to support their application for the Special 100% Guarantee Loan, a government relief scheme launched in early 2020 to help companies struggling amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rosanna Cheung appears at the Shatin Magistrates’ Court on September 1, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The prosecution alleged that Kong and Cheung did so with the intent of fraudulently obtaining loans of HK$231,300 and HK$100,000.

They are also accused of money laundering linked to the two loans, which totalled HK$331,300.

Arrests following petition

Kong and Cheung were arrested in mid-May, two weeks after Kong delivered a petition urging the administrators of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court to meet with homeowners.

Kong told reporters after being released from police custody that he would no longer be speaking to the press.

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 housing estate.

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

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 renovation work at the estate.

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.