Hong Kong authorities have filed three additional money-laundering charges against influencer Chu Ka-fai, known online as “Zhu Gongzi,” alleging he helped process HK$18.8 million (about $2.4 million) through a network of bank accounts linked to the JPEX case. This development expands the legal spotlight from promotion to alleged financial facilitation. It also sits inside a broader investigation authorities describe as involving roughly HK$1.6 billion.
The new counts also suggest a change in how prosecutors want the public to understand the case. Instead of treating reach and marketing as the main issue, the filing points toward the alleged mechanics of moving money. In practical terms, that’s a tougher allegation, because it implies a role in the “how,” not just the “who.”
What prosecutors allege and why it matters
Prosecutors allege Chu laundered more than HK$18.8 million through multiple bank accounts between November 2020 and August 2023, and those movements are treated as completed in court materials. The timeframe anchors the claim in specific alleged banking activity rather than general association. That framing is important because it narrows attention to transaction pathways.
Authorities describe the broader probe as involving more than 2,700 victims and approximately HK$1.6 billion, and they have already reported arrests and formal charges against other internet personalities and promoters. The numbers and enforcement actions position this as a network-style investigation, not a single-influencer story. Officials have said 16 individuals have been formally charged, with over 80 arrests and Interpol red notices issued for three suspects.
The added charges also highlight what prosecutors appear to be building as their evidentiary backbone. By emphasizing bank-account routing, they are treating traditional rails as central to reconstructing the alleged fraud. That approach implicitly frames payment processing and account access as enabling vectors that helped the alleged scheme scale.
Court calendar and enforcement posture
Court paperwork filed on or before January 2, 2026 recorded the additional counts against Chu, while the main JPEX proceedings were adjourned to March 16, 2026 to give prosecutors time to organize what they describe as voluminous evidence. The adjournment reads like a signal that documentation and forensic mapping will drive the next phase. Separately, Chu’s case is set to be transferred to the District Court, with a procedural hearing scheduled for March 27, 2026.
Under Hong Kong law, money-laundering convictions can carry penalties including fines and long custodial sentences, which the prosecution has highlighted in public filings. That stated exposure raises the stakes around how convincingly the banking narrative is presented and challenged. It also increases sensitivity to the details of account flows and the alleged chain of control.
For practitioners and risk officers, the case is a blunt reminder of where scrutiny can land. Promotional intermediaries can be examined as part of laundering and facilitation chains when payment relationships are in play. As the March dates approach, the key test will be whether prosecutors can map the bank-account network into a coherent enterprise narrative, and whether they need forensic links to on-platform transactions to prove the laundering elements.
