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Five Mainland residents involved in an immigration scam were jailed by the District Court today (September 4).
Mainland man Lin Qing, 29, who pleaded guilty to charges of possessing a false travel document was sentenced to an effective term of 14 months.
The four mainland women. Weng Bi-yun, 33, Yang Hong-ying, 31, Weng Ping-ying, 32 and Yan Tong-ying, 41, all pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a false travel document. They were each jailed for eight months.
Immigration investigators at Hong Kong International Airport intercepted Lin at the boarding gate of a flight in April. A luggage search was conducted and four Japanese passports, with the photos of Weng Bi-yun, Yang Hong-ying, Weng Ping-ying, Yan Tong-ying, were found. The four mainland women were then intercepted at the boarding gate.
They admitted they intended to go to Columbia to seek employment. Forensic examination confirmed that all the four Japan passports were bio-data page-substituted forgeries.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, anyone who possesses a false travel document commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, face a maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty.
Ends/Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:14
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