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A 41-year-old Hong Kong resident was jailed for three years for possessing five forged British Dependant Territories Citizen (BDTC) passports, two forged British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passports and a forged Hong Kong Certificate of Identity, an Immigration spokesman said today (November 9).
Shek Fung was charged with one count of possession of forged travel documents. He was convicted and sentenced at the District Court.
Immigration investigators intercepted the defendant and a friend at the Hong Kong International Airport in 1991. Two BDTC passports, a BN(O) passport and a Certificate of Identity were found inside his travelling bag. Three BDTC passports and a BN(O) passport were found in his friend's travelling bag.
The defendant admitted that all eight travel documents were forged and belonged to him. He had been asked to deliver the travel documents to Saipan and had put some of the forged travel documents in his friend's bag without the friend's knowledge.
Subsequent forensic examination confirmed that all the travel documents were photo-substituted.
The case was initially scheduled for trial in the District Court in 1992 but the defendant jumped bail and a warrant of arrest was issued against him. He was re-arrested in May, 2005.
"Under the laws of Hong Kong, anyone who possesses a false 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 spokesman said.
Ends/Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:04
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