Officials in Hong Kong say a local businessman convicted of smuggling bibles into China is now home after being released from a Chinese prison.

China's official news agency, Xinhua, Saturday said Lai Kwong-keung had been released to serve his two year sentence outside of prison because of Hepatitis B treatments.

Hong Kong authorities issued a statement saying officials have been in contact with Lai's family, but gave no other details.

Lai was convicted in late January of smuggling Bibles to an underground Christian church on the mainland.

The 38-year-old Lai had been accused of violating anti-cult laws, for which he could have gotten the death penalty. Instead he was convicted of the lesser charge of engaging in "illegal business activities."

Two mainland Chinese - tried with the 38-year-old Lai - were each sentenced to three years in prison.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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