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A Mainland man and a Mainland woman involved in marriages of convenience were jailed after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (June 15).
Liang Liyuan, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of making false representation to an Immigration Officer and one count of conspiracy to defraud. He was given an effective sentence of 12 months.
Liang admitted that he had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage at a cost of $25,000. He intended to use the false marriage to acquire a "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong and eventually for settlement. From May, 2006, until last month, he had visited Hong Kong after the "marriage", falsely declaring to the Immigration control officers that he came to visit his resident wife.
Mainland woman, Xie Qiongrong, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of making false representation to an Immigration Officer and one counts of conspiracy to defraud. She was given an effective sentence of 12 months.
Xie admitted that she had entered into a false marriage with a Hong Kong resident in October, 2005, through the introduction of middleman for a reward of $8,000. She intended to use the false marriage to acquire a "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong and eventually for settlement. She made visits to Hong Kong after the "marriage", falsely declaring to the Immigration control officers that she came to visit her resident husband.
"The Immigration Department has been very concerned with non-Hong Kong residents obtaining stay in Hong Kong by means of marriage of convenience" 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.
It is also an offence to make a false representation to immigration officers. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years.
Ends/Friday, June 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:06
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