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A Hong Kong woman and a mainland woman involved in marriages of convenience were jailed after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (August 27).
Li Fengxia, 57, pleaded guilty to three counts of making false representation to an Immigration officers and one count of conspiracy to defraud. She was given an effective sentence of 18 months.
Li was intercepted on arrival at Lok Ma Chau control point on August 2. She admitted she had used a false identity to enter into a false marriage in July, 2004, with a Hong Kong resident, a sworn brother of her father. She intended to use the false marriage to acquire "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong and eventually for settlement.
In the second case, Tung Yuk Lin, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud and was given an effective sentence of 12 months.
Tung admitted that she had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage in August, 2005, with a mainland resident at a cost of HK$13,000. She said the "marriage" was for money and to facilitate her bogus husband to make use of the false marriage to apply for "90-day visit" endorsements to enter Hong Kong; and eventually for settlement.
"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/Monday, August 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:45
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