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A Hong Kong resident and a Mainland resident were jailed by the District Court today (May 3) for their involvement in an immigration scam, an Immigration Department spokesman said today.
The Mainland resident, Li Qin, and his courier, Hong Kong resident, Chan Shu-po, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to obtain services by deception and were sentenced to 16 and 20 months' imprisonment respectively.
In November 2011, immigration officers at Hong Kong International Airport intercepted the two defendants as they were about to board a flight to Tokyo, Japan. The officers suspected that Li’s Canadian passport was forged, while his People's Republic of China passport was found among Chan’s belongings in a subsequent luggage search. Under caution, Chan admitted that he was to receive $10,000 from a middleman as a monetary reward for assisting Li in boarding a flight for Canada via Japan. Forensic examination of Li's Canadian passport confirmed it was a forgery.
"Under the Theft Ordinance, people who, by any deception, dishonestly obtain services from another shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, upon conviction, to imprisonment for 10 years," an Immigration Department spokesman said.
The spokesman warned that under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who uses a false travel document commits an offence. It is also an offence to make false representation to immigration officers. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years.
Ends/Thursday, May 3, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:35
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