May 14 – Former Birmingham City chairman Carson Yeung (pictured) has lost an appeal against a six-year Hong Kong jail sentence for money laundering. Yeung moved HK$720 million (£55 million) though his accounts between 2001 and 2007.
Yeung bought 29.9% of the shares in Birmingham City in 2007, before achieving full ownership in 2009. The club were relegated from the Premier League in 2011 to the Championship, where they finished tenth this season.
Yeung said he had made hundreds of millions of dollars through stock trading, business ventures in mainland China, a hair salon and gambling. The Hong Kong appeal judge ruled that the original trial had reasonable grounds to believe they were the “proceeds of an indictable offence”.
Birmingham City is currently under the control of receivers Ernst & Young who are conducting a sale of the club, though rumours are that the sale may actually only be of Yeung’s stake in Birmingham International Holdings Limited (BIHL), which owns the club, according to influential Birmingham City blogger Daniel Ivery.
Seven bidders have made offers for the club and these have been reduced to one shortlisted bidder, according to an announcement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Separately, Ernst & Young have secured about £13 million in funding and £880,000 cash in a loan from lenders Trillion Trophy Asia Limited.
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