Mainland police authorities had "indisputable evidence" to convict Alex Ho Wai-to of the Democratic Party (DP) in a prostitution case.
Li Zelin, a spokesman of the
Dongguan Municipal Public Security Bureau, said this at a press conference Tuesday.
He refuted claims that Ho had been beaten or mistreated prior to giving a confession after he was detained last Friday.
Ho, a candidate for Kowloon East constituency in the coming Legislative Council (LegCo) election, was detained for allegedly patronizing a prostitute. He has been given a six-month interment sentence and is being held at a detention camp in Dalang Township, Dongguan.
"Ho had sex with a woman in a hotel room and a money transaction was involved," Li said.
Li said local police conducted a routine anti-vice raid in Humen Township of
Dongguan last Friday.
Ho and a 25-year-old woman, surnamed Zhou, were found naked in a room in Huiyuan Hyatt Hotel at about 5:00 am.
Some unused condoms and used tissue were found. But the used condom had been flushed away by Ho, Li said.
Zhou admitted having sex with Ho. She said she met Ho in a local karaoke bar on Thursday evening. Ho rented the hotel room and spent the night there with her.
According to relevant Chinese laws and regulations, Ho and Zhou would be held in custody for six months, Li said.
Li stressed that the police had been acting according to the law. Patronizing prostitutes is illegal on the Chinese mainland.
In Hong Kong, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee said Tuesday that the Security Bureau was trying to obtain more details about the incident and promised to follow the case closely.
He stressed that the SAR government was very concerned about
Hong Kong citizens being detained outside the territory. He pledged to probe into any unfair treatment Hongkongers might receive abroad or on the mainland.
But he pointed out that
Hong Kong people should respect and abide by the laws of the places where they travel.
Lee subsequently met with Ho's wife Carol, her family, and some DP members to discuss the case.
Speaking in a separate press conference after the meeting, Mrs. Ho reiterated that she had confidence in her husband.
She said she did not care whether or not there was evidence against her husband and her biggest concern was his health condition because he has a liver problem.
She wanted him back in
Hong Kong as soon as possible for medication.
