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A Hong Kong resident who lied in her application for a replacement Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport, has been jailed for eight months.
Ho Kwan-fong, 38, pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a travel document. She appeared in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (July 21).
The court was told that Ho submitted a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Passport application at Yuen Long office in January this year for replacement of her lost HKSAR passport. The photograph on her application form was different to photos on her previous applications, so case was referred for investigation.
Later, Ho submitted another HKSAR passport replacement application by presenting a damaged HKSAR passport which she claimed to have found at home. The photos affixed on the application form was found to resemble her facial appearance but was different from the one she submitted earlier.
Ho later admitted that the photo submitted in January belonged to her sister on the Mainland. She intended to apply for a HKSAR passport with her sister's photo in order to allow her sister to get into Hong Kong.
"Under the laws of Hong Kong, it is an offence to make false statement for the purpose of obtaining a travel document. Offenders are liable to prosecution and on conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years," the spokesman said.
Ends/Monday, July 21, 2008
Issued at HKT 20:15
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