HONG KONG – A Hong Kong court Thursday granted bail to a Philippine legislator and son of a prominent politician after he spent more than a month in police custody on drug charges.
Hong Kong airport authorities arrested Philippine Rep. Ronald Singson, 41, on July 11 on suspicion of trafficking in cocaine after a flight from Manila.
Singson is the son of Luis "Chavit" Singson, a provincial governor whose testimony in the corruption trial of his former friend, ex-President Joseph Estrada, helped convict the ousted leader in 2007 and send him to life in prison. Estrada was later pardoned.
The drug case has generated publicity in the Philippines where powerful lawmakers sometimes run afoul of the law. One legislator has been convicted of raping a minor and another is facing charges of killing his wife.
Singson's father, who attended Thursday's hearing, told ABS-CBN television in Manila that he suspected his son was set up because of "politics and business." He did not elaborate and said the bail will be split by two Hong Kong "business friends" he did not identify.
Bail was set at 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($130,000) in cash, on condition that Singson report daily to a police station. His passports and other travel documents were to be surrendered.
The next hearing was set for Sept. 7 at a district court.
Singson's father claimed his son was traveling with two companions who also were found carrying the drugs but were supposedly immediately released.
Singson was initially charged with trafficking 0.92 ounces (26.1 grams) of cocaine but the amount was reduced to 0.24 ounces (6.67 grams) after a routine analysis by government chemists, the Tseun Wan Magistrate Court No. 1 heard. Two tablets of diazepam, the generic form of Valium, were also allegedly found on him.
In Hong Kong, trafficking in a dangerous drug carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of 5 million Hong Kong dollars ($640,000). It was unclear if the reduced amount of cocaine would result in a less severe charge. Singson's lawyer, John Reading, declined to comment at the court house.
