Editing Patrick Ho (section)

== Bribery and money laundering arrest and conviction ==
Ho and former [[Foreign Minister of Senegal|Senegalese foreign minister]] [[Cheikh Tidiane Gadio|Cheikh Gadio]] were arrested in New York in late November 2017, charged with violating the [[Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]] (FCPA) and money laundering. The pair offered a US$2&nbsp;million bribe to former [[President of Chad|Chad President]] [[Idriss Déby]] for oil rights, and deposited a US$500,000 bribe to an account designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda on behalf of [[CEFC China Energy|CEFC]]. The million-dollar bribes were disguised as donations.<ref name=scmp2120784>{{cite web|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2120784/us-arrests-former-hong-kong-home-secretary-patrick-ho|title=US arrests Patrick Ho over alleged oil bribes|work=South China Morning Post|date=21 November 2017}}</ref> The energy fund, chaired by [[Ye Jianming]], denied authorising Ho to engage in corrupt practices.<ref name=HKFPexplainer>{{cite news|url=https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/11/21/explainer-patrick-hos-bribery-allegations-top-hong-kong-official-us-police-custody/|title=Explainer: Patrick Ho's bribery allegations – from top Hong Kong official to US police custody|newspaper=[[Hong Kong Free Press]]|date=21 November 2017|last=Cheng|first=Kris|access-date=23 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/file/1021931/download|title=Indictment Case 1:17-mj-08611-UA}}</ref>

James Biden, brother of [[Joe Biden]], got a call from Patrick Ho when Ho was arrested by the FBI. James Biden said he believed it had been meant for [[Hunter Biden]], the son of [[Joe Biden]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stevenson |first1=Alexandra |last2=Barboza |first2=David |last3=Goldstein |first3=Matthew |last4=Mozur |first4=Paul |title=A Chinese Tycoon Sought Power and Influence. Washington Responded |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/business/cefc-biden-china-washington-ye-jianming.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=11 December 2020 |date=12 December 2018}}</ref>

On 5 December 2018, Ho was convicted on seven counts of bribery and money laundering, following a federal trial in which Gadio stood as a witness for prosecutors.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/business/cefc-china-patrick-ho.html|newspaper=New York Times|title=Ex-Hong Kong Official Convicted in Bribe Case Involving Chinese Oil Company|date=5 December 2018}}</ref><ref name=LumKazaryan>{{cite web|author=Lum, Alvin|author2=Emma Kazryan|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2176601/patrick-ho-convicted-us-court-7-8-counts-bribery-and|title=Former Hong Kong minister Patrick Ho Chi-ping convicted in US court on 7 of 8 counts in bribery and money-laundering case|work=South China Morning Post|date=2018-12-06|accessdate=2018-12-07}}</ref>  He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and fined $400,000 in March 2019.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Hong Kong Free Press|url=https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/03/26/breaking-3-years-prison-us400k-fine-ex-hong-kong-official-patrick-ho-guilty-bribery/|title=3-years prison and US$400k fine for ex-Hong Kong official Patrick Ho, guilty of bribery|last1=Cheng|first1=Kris|last2=Grundy|first2=Tom|date=26 March 2019|access-date=26 March 2019}}</ref>
After being imprisoned at the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York]], as of 9 June 2020, the ''[[South China Morning Post]]'' reported that Ho has been released and deported to Hong Kong.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/|title = Inmate Locator}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-09|title=Disgraced former minister Patrick Ho returns to city after jail release|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3088264/disgraced-former-hong-kong-minister-patrick-ho-returns|access-date=2020-06-09|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}}</ref>