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Two Taiwan residents and one Mainland resident who involved in an immigration scam were jailed by the District Court today (February 15).
29-year-old Mainland woman Jiang Jing-fang was charged with one count of using a false travel document, one count of making a false representation to an Immigration officer and one count of conspiracy to obtain services by deception. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to an effective term of 20 months.
The male Taiwan resident was 42-year-old Kuo Chi-sheng. He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a false travel document, one count of aiding, abetting, councelling or procuring the possession of a false travel document and one count of conspiracy to obtain services by deception. He was sentenced to jail for 26 months.
28-year-old Taiwan female resident Lo Yun-ti who assisted in the scam also pleaded guilty to one count of making false representation to an Immigration officer, one count of aiding, abetting, counseling or procuring the possession of a false travel document and one count of conspiracy to obtain services by deception. She was sentenced to an effective jail term of 22 months.
In August 2006, Immigration investigators suspected Lo was a check-in facilitator and found her checked in a flight for Taiwan and one for the USA using a Taiwan travel document in which an USA visa was attached. She passed the travel document and the boarding pass that she used for check-in to the USA to Kuo.
Kuo was found to have collected the Mainland travel document and the original boarding pass Jiang checked in for Guangzhou and handed over to her the Taiwan travel document and boarding pass he collected from Lo. Immigration investigators subsequently recovered Jiang's Mainland travel document and boarding pass that Kuo placed in a public toilet.
All three defendants were intercepted subsequently.
Forensic examinations confirmed that the Taiwan travel document and the USA visa attached therein that Jiang intended to use for travel to the USA were all fake.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, anyone who uses a false travel document commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, face a maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty.
It is also an offence to make a false representation to an Immigration Service member. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty.
Moreover, anyone who commits an offence of obtaining services by deception would be liable to prosecution and, upon conviction to imprisonment of 10 years.
Ends/Thursday, February 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 20:17
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