HONG Kong was still sound asleep. It was 1:49am, November 9, 2006. However Francis didn’t have time to enjoy himself. He was sending an email to clarify a secret to his colleagues in Indonesia and Hong Kong.

The email that Francis sent to his colleagues in Asian Agri Group read something like: “Here is the GOOD NEWS. The Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department (IRD) can accept that all sales made by Twin Bonus are overseas transactions so they