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Two women – one from Hong Kong and the other from the Mainland – who were both involved in marriages of convenience, received jail sentences after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (July 26).
Chan Yuk-fung, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud and was given an effective sentence of 18 months.
Chan admitted that she had entered into false marriages with two Mainland men. The first was on the Mainland in March, 2005, and the second took place in Hong Kong in August the same year. Both marriages were for money and to facilitate the bogus husbands to apply for "90-day visa" endorsements to enter Hong Kong for illegal work and eventually for settlement.
The second case involved 23-year-old Mainland woman Hong Zhu who pleaded guilty to two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Officer and one count of conspiracy to defraud. She was given an effective sentence of 18 months.
Hong was intercepted at a control point early this month (July) as there was doubt about her marriage to a Hong Kong resident. She admitted that she had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage at a cost of RMB23,000. She intended to use the false marriage to acquire a "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong and eventually for illegal work and settlement. In November, 2006, and again in July this year, she visited Hong Kong after the "marriage", falsely declaring to the Immigration control officers that she came to see 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/Thursday, July 26, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:53
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