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A Hong Kong woman has been jailed after conspiring with four Mainland women to defraud the Immigration Department.
Liao Jialing, 34, brought the women to Hong Kong, provided them with accommodation, arranged prostitution work for them and unlawfully altered their Chinese exit endorsement and Hong Kong Immigration stamps.
Liao pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud the Hong Kong Government by dishonestly altering the limitation of stay imposed by the Immigration Department, thus inducing the Hong Kong authorities to allow the four Mainlanders to stay in Hong Kong, and four counts of aiding and abetting the making of a false instrument. At the District Court today she was sentenced to an effective term of 28 months' jail.
The four Mainland visitors, Liu Shujiao, 19, Wu Lishuang, 18, Xiao Xiaoxue, 21, and Luo Ting, 20, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the Hong Kong Government. Xiao also pleaded guilty to a count of breaching her conditions of stay and Luo pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a false instrument. They each received a 12-month jail term.
On May 3, Immigration investigators arrested Liao along with seven female Mainlanders, who were in her leased flat. The seven were suspected of being involved in prostitution. The Exit-Entry Permits and Hong Kong Immigration stamps of four of the Mainlanders had been unlawfully altered.
Liao admitted that from March to May, 2006, she had arranged for the seven female Mainlanders to enter Hong Kong for prostitution and provided them with accommodation. In return, she received monetary rewards. To prevent them from being detected by law enforcement agencies, Liao took the Exit-Entry Permits for four of the Mainlanders to Shenzhen so the Chinese exit endorsements and Hong Kong Immigration stamps could be altered.
The four female Mainlanders admitted they had conspired with Liao to have their Chinese exit endorsements and Hong Kong stamps altered so they could hide the fact that they were overstaying in Hong Kong and so they could evade inspection by Hong Kong authorities. The alteration fee of $8,000 would be deducted from their earnings from prostitution.
With a view to combating the use of unlawfully altered Chinese exit endorsements and Hong Kong Immigration stamps to take up unapproved employment, the Immigration Department is continuing its investigations into such syndicated crimes. The department is also liaising closely with the Mainland authorities on intelligence gathering.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, anyone who commits the offence of conspiracy to defraud is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, faces the maximum penalty of imprisonment for 14 years.
Anyone who has in his custody a false instrument commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for three years. Moreover, anyone who makes a false instrument commits the offence of forgery and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abetters face the same penalty.
Anyone who contravenes his conditions of stay is liable, on conviction, to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for two years.
Ends/Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:09
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