A male Mainlander was charged at the Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts with one count of making false representation to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member, and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment on March 26.

     The 63-year-old defendant arrived in Hong Kong as a visitor. During his stay, the defendant submitted an application for an extension of stay (extension application) to the ImmD, and claimed his reason for the extension was to take care of his mother in Hong Kong. However, when processing the application, the ImmD found that the defendant's mother had passed away prior to the application.
 
     In the course of the investigation, the defendant admitted under caution that in order to have his extension application approved, he declared upon the application to Immigration staff that he needed to take care of his mother in Hong Kong, even though he clearly knew that his mother had passed away. The defendant was subsequently charged with one count of making a false representation to Immigration staff for the reason of an extension. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment by the Sha Tin Magistrates' Court on March 26.

     "Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes a false representation to an Immigration officer commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to the maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years," an ImmD spokesman said.

Ends/Monday, March 29, 2021
Issued at HKT 17:30

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