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A Mainland woman involved in marriage of convenience was jailed after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (April 23).
Cui Fengqi, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Officer and was given an effective sentence of 16 months.
Cui was arrested last month (March) during an anti-vice operation. She was further investigated because of involvement in a marriage of convenience case.
Cui admitted that she had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage with a Hong Kong resident. She intended to use the false marriage to acquire a "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong for illegal work. She married her bogus husband in Hong Kong, in April, 2006. Cui then made visits to Hong Kong after the "marriage", falsely declaring to the Immigration control officers that she came to visit her resident husband. She also admitted that she had been working as a prostitute in Hong Kong since June, 2006.
"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.
Ends/Monday, April 23, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:51
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