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Three Hong Kong residents involved in marriages of convenience were all jailed after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (May 7).
In the first case, Tang Mei-lin, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud. She was given an effective sentence of 12 months.
Tang was intercepted at Lok Ma Chau control point in March because of suspicions about her marriage to a Mainland resident. She admitted that she had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage, on the Mainland, in November, 2004, with a reward of $8,000. Tang knew that her bogus husband would use the false marriage to acquire a "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong for job seeking.
Another Hong Kong man, Pun Ching-lai, 69, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud and was given an effective sentence of nine months.
Pun admitted that he had entered into a false marriage in Hong Kong with a reward of $30,000 through a middleman. Pun knew that his bogus wife would use the false relationship to apply for "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong for illegal employment.
The last case involved 22-year-old Hong Kong woman Ho Wing-yan who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud. She was given an effective sentence of 15 months.
Ho was located for investigation in connection with referring her friend to a middleman for contracting marriages of convenience. Ho admitted that she introduced her friend to a middleman and her friend would be offered to register a false marriage in Hong Kong, in June, 2006, for monetary reward. The bogus husband of Ho's friend then used the false relationship to acquire the "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong.
The same middleman arranged with Ho for another bogus marriage with a Mainland resident in July, 2005, in Hong Kong to facilitate her bogus husband to acquire the a "90-day visit" 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 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/Monday, May 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 20:06
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