Blues football club owner Yeung 'to fight charges'

Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung intends to fight money laundering charges in Hong Kong, his lawyer said Wednesday after a pre-trial hearing. "It's clear. That's our position," lawyer Clive Grossman told AFP outside the court when asked if Yeung intended to plead not guilty. He said the former hairdresser gave no indication of his plea during Wednesday's largely procedural hearing, which was not open to the public. No date had been set for the trial, but it was expected to begin later this month. "We've got to check our diaries," Grossman said. Yeung refused to comment except to wish reporters a Merry Christmas. He faces five counts of "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence". He was arrested and charged in June, but the exact nature of the allegations remain unclear. Prosecutors have said investigations revealed around HK$720 million ($92 million) passed through accounts connected with the businessman. Yeung has posted bail of HK$8 million but has been refused permission to travel overseas. Little known before his emergence in English football, Yeung took control of Birmingham in October 2009 in an £81 million ($130 million) takeover from David Sullivan and David Gold, now the co-owners of West Ham. The club's fortunes however have gone downhill. They were relegated from the Premiership three months after winning the League Cup amid financial troubles, with the club's parent company HK$348 million in debt.