Birmingham City owner jailed for money laundering

Birmingham City football club owner Carson Yeung. Picture: Getty

Hong Kong District Court judge Douglas Yau handed down the sentence to Carson Yeung who was found guilty on Monday over his handling of HK$721 million (£55.5m) using five bank accounts between January 2001 and December 2007.

The court had heard that Yeung and his father, who died in 2012, reported no earnings for four or five years between 2001 and 2007 while vast sums were deposited into their bank accounts.

The charges are unrelated to Birmingham City, which the 54-year-old hairdresser-turned-businessman bought in 2009 for £81.5m.

However, the prosecution will apply on 3 April to confiscate £30.7m of Yeung’s assets, which has been frozen by a court pending the outcome of the trial.

Yeung had resigned his directorships with Birmingham and his stake is less than 30 per cent, ensuring he does not breach Football League rules concerning people convicted of offences involving dishonesty.