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"A Hong Kong resident was sentenced to imprisonment today at the Kwun Tong Magistrates Courts for possessing two forged Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passports and two Hong Kong identity cards," a spokesman for the Immigration Department said today (August 12).

The defendant, Chu Man-wai, male, aged 31, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of forged travel document and one count of possession of forged identity card. He was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment for each charge, sentences to run concurrently.

Case revealed that Immigration investigators, acting on information, launched an operation at the Hong Kong International Airport on July 27 this year. Defendant was spotted collecting two boarding passes relating to other persons from the tour leader. He then went to the airline counter to check-in the baggage. When the tour leader called for the two tour members in name of Cheung May-chow and Choi Kui-fung, they did not show up. Instead, the defendant collected their HKSAR passports and put them into his backpack. At this point, Immigration investigators requested the defendant to produce the two HKSAR passports for inspection. Upon examination, they were suspected to be forged. Further search was conducted and two suspected forged Hong Kong identity cards were unearthed from the defendant's backpack. The said identity cards were in names of Cheung May-chow and Choi Kui-fung.

Forensic examination revealed that the two passports and the two identity cards in question were forgeries.

Cheung and Choi were intercepted on 31 July 2003 and found to be Mainland residents. They were prosecuted for the offence of possession of forged British National (Overseas) passport and forged Hong Kong identity card and were each sentenced to 6 months' imprisonment on 5 August and 7 August respectively.

"Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who possesses a forged travel document commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years, " the Immigration Department spokesman warned.

"Moreover, anyone who possesses a forged Hong Kong identity card commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for 10 years, " the spokesman added.

End/Tuesday, August 12, 2003

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