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A Hong Kong resident involved in three marriages of convenience was jailed for 18 months after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (April 4).
Chan Mei-chu, 32, was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to defraud.
In an investigation into marriage of convenience cases Chan admitted that she had entered into a false marriage with a Mainland man on the Mainland in November, 2006, for money and to facilitate the bogus husband to apply for a "90-day visa" endorsement to enter Hong Kong for illegal work.
Chan had also assisted two Hong Kong residents contract false marriages with Mainland residents on the Mainland in September and December, 2003, for money and to facilitate the mainland residents to apply for a "90-day visa" endorsement to enter Hong Kong and eventually for settlement.
"The Immigration Department has been very concerned with non-Hong Kong residents obtaining stay in Hong Kong by means of bogus marriage," 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.
Ends/Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:19
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