Judge rejects Hong Kong businessman's bail request
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has rejected a bail request for a Hong Kong businessman charged in a United Nations-linked bribery scandal, saying he was too great a risk to flee.
Federal Judge Katherine Forrest listened to over an hour of arguments Monday before saying no bail conditions could guarantee Dr. Chi Ping Patrick Ho would be at his trial.
The 68-year-old Ho was arrested in November. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he paid bribes on behalf of a Chinese energy conglomerate to secure business advantages.
His defense lawyer, Edward Kim, insisted that his client would rather be convicted at trial than to have fled the country in disgrace.