Patrick Ho Chi-ping, the former Hong Kong home secretary who headed the mysterious think-tank arm of a Chinese conglomerate, was sentenced to three years in prison by a New York court on Monday, wrapping up a saga that spans four continents and billions of dollars.
Patrick Ho Chi-ping, Hong Kong’s home secretary from 2002 to 2007, was in December convicted of international money laundering, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Ho was in charge of China Energy Fund Committee, a think-tank that forged deep ties to the United Nations and the international strategic affairs community. The think-tank was funded by CEFC China Energy, whose chairman was detained a year ago in Shanghai.