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A mainland man involved in marriage of convenience was jailed after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (May 8).
Xu Kaiwu, 38, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Officer. He was given an effective sentence of 15 months.
Xu was questioned on arrival at Lo Wu control point on April 15 because of a previous refused landing record last October. Investigations revealed a suspicious marital relationship with a Hong Kong resident. He subsequently admitted that he had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage in June, 2006, with a Hong Kong resident at a cost of 40,000 renminbi.
He intended to use the false marriage to acquire a "90-day" endorsement to procure a longer stay in Hong Kong. Xu tried to enter Hong Kong twice after the "marriage", falsely declaring to the Immigration control officers that he came to visit his resident wife.
"The Immigration Department has been very concerned with non-Hong Kong residents obtaining stay in Hong Kong by means of marriage of convenience," a department spokesman said. "A special task force has been set up to gather intelligence through various avenues and a thorough investigation will be conducted once evidence comes to light. If there is enough evidence, the department will prosecute offenders.
"For people who have obtained their residence in Hong Kong by fraudulent means, their Hong Kong identity card and residence status will be declared invalid according to the laws of Hong Kong. They will also be subject to removal back to their place of origin," the spokesman said.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, anyone who commits the offence of conspiracy is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 14 years.
It is also an offence to make a false representation to immigration officers. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years.
Ends/Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:20
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