Hong Kong’s police chief has slammed the alleged involvement of a lawyer and doctors in a spate of so-called crash-for-cash scams as “unforgivable and unacceptable”.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said on Saturday that the force would speed up its investigation into such cases, and expected a fresh wave of arrests as part of efforts to get to the bottom of the scams.
He said police previously arrested a couple and two doctors for their alleged roles in more than 20 crash-for-cash scams, adding that officers were investigating over 100 other suspicious cases.
Authorities earlier said they had received reports of drivers facing sudden massive civil claims, months after police had closed traffic cases – some involving minor or no collisions.
The claims typically covered legal fees, medical expenses, loss of income, vehicle repairs and other miscellaneous costs.
Chow said police had also raided the office of a lawyer in Mong Kok that had filed most of the claims linked to the couple.
