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A Hong Kong man and two mainlanders were yesterday (January 14) jailed by the District Court in a case relating to forged travel documents. The Hong Kong resident, Hung Yan-lam, also known as Hung Wai-lam, 52, was sentenced to two years and eight months after being convicted of one count of possessing forged travel documents.
Mainlanders Wang Yunguang, 37, and Wu Lihua, 17, were each jailed for eight months for making false representations to an Immigration officer.
The court heard that on July 8 last year, Immigration officers intercepted the three defendants near the boarding gate for a flight bound for Amsterdam. Hung took two envelopes from his trousers and dropped them on the floor. Two Korean and two Japanese passports with Wang's and Wu's photos were found inside the envelopes.
Forensic examination showed that those Korean and Japanese passports were forged.
Hung admitted that he was being paid to take the forged passports to the Netherlands and pass them onto Wang and Wu.
Wang and Wu also admitted it had been arranged for them to go to Europe to look for work on the strength of the forged travel documents and that they had made false representation on their destination during immigration arrival examination.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, anyone who possesses a forged travel document commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years.
It is also an offence to make false representation to an Immigration officer. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years.
Ends/Thursday, January 15, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:33
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