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The mastermind of a bogus marriage syndicate received record-high 28-month jail sentence after appearing in the District Court today (February 8).
Dai Chun-yin, 48, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of conspiracy to defraud, one count of aiding and abetting the making of a false representation to an Immigration officer and one count of perverting the course of public justice. His sentence was the biggest imposed on someone convicted in relation to bogus marriages.
DaiĄŻs friend, Ku Kee-chun, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud and was given an effective sentence of eight months.
On November 7, 2006, a Mainland woman arrived in Hong Kong via Lo Wu control point and declared to an Immigration control officer that she was going to visit her resident husband. Immigration officers tried to contact her husband. Dai, who posed as the Mainland womanĄŻs husband, answered the phone.
Investigations revealed that Ku, and not Dai, was the subscriber of the phone number. Ku admitted that he had no knowledge of the Mainland woman and the phone number was all along used by Dai. Ku further admitted that he had entered into a bogus marriage with another Mainland woman Zhou Mengzhu in January, 2006, for monetary reward.
Immigration investigators then intercepted Dai on November 10, 2006. Dai admitted that he had arranged 12 bogus marriages from November, 2005, to October, 2006. The first bogus marriage was to arrange for his friend Ku to marry a Mainland woman.
Dai also admitted that he had asked Ku not to admit he had been paid to enter into a sham marriage with Zhou Mengzhu.
Zhou Mengzhu pleaded guilty on January 31, 2007, to three counts of making false representation to an Immigration officer and was sentenced to an effective term of 18 months.
"The department has been very concerned with non-Hong Kong residents obtaining the right to stay in Hong Kong by means of bogus marriages," 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 the 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. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty.
Ends/Thursday, February 8, 2007
Issued at HKT 21:35
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