A British court has convicted two men linked to an Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) of spying on activists from the city on behalf of Chinese authorities.

Bill Yuen Chung-biu, the London office’s manager, and Peter Wai Chi-leung were found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service on Thursday, two years after their arrests thrust the role of Hong Kong’s overseas promotion offices into the global spotlight.

Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police superintendent, was earlier accused of passing on surveillance requests from city authorities while working at the HKETO to co-defendant Wai.

Prosecutors said Wai had used his position as a United Kingdom Border Force officer to gather personal information about Hong Kong activists in the UK using the Home Office’s computer systems.

The court heard that Nathan Law Kwun-chung, one of 19 wanted fugitives with HK$1 million (US$127,700) bounties placed on their heads by Hong Kong police, was among the targets.