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A Mainland woman and Hong Kong woman, involved in false marriage cases, were both jailed after appearing in Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (May 15).
Yang Caixia, 23, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Officer. She was given an effective sentence of 16 months.
Yang was intercepted at Lo Wu control point on April 20. She admitted that she had agreed with a middleman to enter into a false marriage with a Hong Kong resident at a cost of 20,500 renminbi. She intended to make use of the false marriage to acquire a "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong for illegal work and eventually for settlement.
She married her bogus husband in Hong Kong in July last year and then made visits to Hong Kong, falsely declaring to Immigration control officers that she came to visit her resident husband.
In the second case, a Hong Kong resident, Lam Yuen Ling, 31, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to defraud and was jailed for 18 months.
Lam was located for investigation into a fake marriage case. She admitted entering into one fake marriage on the Mainland in 2003, and a second in Hong Kong in 2006. Both were with Mainland residents for monetary reward to facilitate the bogus husbands to use the false marriages to acquire "90-day visit" endorsement to enter Hong Kong to seek illegal work 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. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty.
Ends/Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:41
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