Depicting the infamous criminal Cheung Tze-Keung a.k.a. Big Spender, 'Operation Billionaires' is a based-on-reality film. In this movie, they changed the name of the criminal Cheung Tze-Keung to Cheung Chi-Ho, starred by Simon Yam.
Cheung, 'Big Spender' enjoys his lavish living and has a largesse personality, giving his friends and strangers gifts funded from a crime spree that brought in at least $2 billion. He reportedly gave away tens of thousands dollars to a young street painter when in Bangkok.
Together with his partner-in-crime,Yip Kai-foon, they masterminded some of the kidnappings of tycoons, including the kidnapping of Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, son of Li Ka Shing, and Walter Kwok, chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties. He reportedly reaped HK$1.38 billion in ransom money from Li Ka-shing, and HK$600 million for Walter Kwok.
These kidnappings caught the personal attention of then PRC Paramount Leader Jiang Zemin, who took action after a meeting with Li Ka Shing.
Cheung even tried to bomb a jail to rescue his associate but to no avail when his massive amouts of explosives were discovered by the police. He fled to China in January 1998 under an assumed name after failing to kidnap Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan, in retaliation for the jailing of his associate, Yip Kai-foon. However, he was arrested there and all his assets were frozen by the government. The movie ended here because it was understandable that the trial of Cheung had not concluded during the filming of this movie.
In reality, the trial was held in Guangzhou even though the events occurred in Hong Kong. Cheung's lawyer, and other constitutional experts, lobbied the government for the trial to be transferred to Hong Kong where Cheung's crimes would have carried a less severe punishment, but they were rejected.
The trial of a Hong Kong resident in Mainland China has created legal controversials. Hong Kong public were concerned whether if they commited crime in Hongkong, they would have to stand trial in the Mainland if arrested there. The Chinese government responded saying that although these crimes by Cheung were committed in Hong Kong, but they were masterminded in Mainland China. Therefore, the PRC was entitled jurisdiction over the case. There were some who maintained that the Li and Kwok families could get their revenge on Cheung since a trial in the Mainland could guarantee a death penalty, whereas capital punishment was not enforced in Hong Kong.
The trial of a Hong Kong resident in Mainland China has created legal controversials. Hong Kong public were concerned whether if they commited crime in Hongkong, they would have to stand trial in the Mainland if arrested there. The Chinese government responded saying that although these crimes by Cheung were committed in Hong Kong, but they were masterminded in Mainland China. Therefore, the PRC was entitled jurisdiction over the case. There were some who maintained that the Li and Kwok families could get their revenge on Cheung since a trial in the Mainland could guarantee a death penalty, whereas capital punishment was not enforced in Hong Kong.
The Mainland authorities formally charged Cheung and his 35 followers with a series of charges relating to "cross-boundary crime including illegal possession, transporting and smuggling explosives and firearms, robbery and kidnapping". The charges, which were denied by Cheung.
The trial was criticised by some human rights observers for its lack of transparency, as Cheung's mother and lawyer were not allowed in the courtroom, and others alleged that the PRC was holding the trial in secrecy to cover up embarrassing links that military officers had sold weaponry to Cheung. On 16 December 1998, Cheung was convicted and summarily executed in Guangzhou by a firing squad.
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