A Citi banker was threatened and arrested by Hong Kong police after claiming he was merely leaving from work.
The individual, who claimed to be a director from the American lender, was seen wearing dress clothes and no face mask in a video widely circulated in Hong Kong. He initially spoke Cantonese and told the police to search his wallet while covering his eyes after being pepper sprayed. But when he proceeded to speak English and explain that his office was just 500 meters away, police suddenly acted aggressively.
«I tell you. I am [not a college graduate]. I have nothing to lose,» the police was heard saying in Cantonese, likely in response to the usage of English. «I will [expletive] arrest you. Don’t get arrogant. Don’t say useless things, [expletive].»
Following a brief scuffle, three police proceeded to take him to the ground and arrest him, saying «we’ll talk after we detain you».
Response
«We are aware of this incident and are investigating further,» said James Griffiths, a spokesperson for Citi in an «SCMP» report. «While investigations continue it would be inappropriate to comment further. We expect all our employees to abide by the law.»
The report claims that a conference call was held by Citi on Wednesday after the video was posted, stressing that staff safety was the bank's top priority and advised avoidance of «dangerous situations». The source also said that the individual was indeed a director who worked in Citi's capital markets arm.
