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A Hong Kong resident involved in three bogus marriages was jailed for 27 months after appearing in the Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (March 21).
Yu, Kwok-ming, 48, was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to defraud. He pleaded guilty to all charges. His sentence included the activation of a six months' suspended jail sentence for a previous conviction.
Yu was located last month (February) for investigation into bogus marriage cases.
He admitted entering into one bogus marriage on the Mainland in 2002 and another in 2006. Both were with Mainland residents for monetary reward to facilitate the bogus wives to apply for a "90-day visa" endorsement for entry to Hong Kong.
In December, 2005, in Hong Kong, and again for money, Yu married a woman living in the Philippines and helped her apply for a visa to settle in Hong Kong on the strength of the marriage.
"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, March 21, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:02
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