DPP abandons 2017 appeal against Chinese men

THE OFFICE of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has abandoned the appeal against two Chinese men who were charged with illegal gambling in 2017.

When the matter of Fu Quiang Yan and Quig Yuan Hun came up before Justices of Appeal Alice Yorke-Soo Hon and Mark Mohammed, senior state attorney Mauricia Joseph told the court a notice of abandonment had been filed by the DPP’s office.

As a result, the appeal against the two men was dismissed and the magistrate’s orders affirmed.

Quiang Yan was arrested in January 2017 and charged with illegal gambling. Police seized a large quantity of money – TT and US currency, Euros, Canadian dollars and British pounds.

The money was confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act, and although Quiang Yan was eventually cleared of the illegal gambling charge, and the confiscation order expired in January, he was subsequently charged with money laundering.

The State had appealed the magistrate's decision to dismiss the illegal gambling charge and the matter came up yesterday before the judges.

Quiang Yan is currently being held without bail on the money laundering charge.

In July, Justices of Appeal Yorke-Soo Hon, Prakash Moosai and Mohammed denied him bail on the basis that there were substantial grounds for believing Quiang Yan would abscond if granted bail, especially since the penalty for money laundering was a $25 million fine and a 15 year jail term.

Yuan Hun was not in court when the appeal was dismissed.

The men were represented by attorneys Keith Scotland and Raphael Morgan.