Hong Kong’s justice department has rejected online accusations involving the newly promoted public prosecutions director and a colleague, labelling the allegations “despicable behaviour” and an attempt to “defame public officers”.

In a statement on Saturday, the department said it had referred the case to law enforcement agencies for further investigation and action, vowing to “severely punish lawbreakers in accordance with the law”.

At the centre are online comments posted by a US-based Hong Kong fugitive activist Frances Hui Wing-ting, who accused the two prosecutors – both of whom had handled some national security cases – of abusing their positions for private ends.

Hui also accused their former boss of siding with them.

Hui, who fled the city in 2020 and was granted political asylum in the United States in 2022, is among the activists with HK$1 million (US$127,620) bounties on their heads for allegedly violating the Beijing-imposed national security law in Hong Kong.

She is wanted on suspicion of colluding with a foreign country to endanger national security. Police have accused her of repeatedly calling on foreign countries to impose sanctions, blockades and other actions against China.

She now serves as a policy and advocacy coordinator at the Washington-based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, which city authorities have described as “anti-China”.