On 4th June 2024, a Hong Kong resident was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment by the District Court after being arrested and prosecuted by the Immigration Department (ImmD) for conspiracy to obtain airline services by deception.
The case was part of the ImmD's ongoing efforts to combat illegal migration. In 2020, the department conducted operations that uncovered a case involving the defendant, a Hong Kong resident, who conspired with others to facilitate the illegal migration of a Mainlander to Canada.
Investigators found that in 2019, the defendant approached a middleman who arranged for him to acquire a boarding pass for a flight to Toronto. The defendant used his Hong Kong passport to obtain the boarding pass at an airline check-in counter on the Mainland. He then handed the boarding pass to the middleman within the airport's restricted area, who passed it to another Mainlander. This Mainlander successfully boarded the flight to Toronto using the defendant's boarding pass.
During the investigation, the defendant admitted to his involvement in the conspiracy to assist the Mainlander in seeking illegal migration. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to obtain airline services by deception and pleaded guilty at the District Court, leading to his 32-month prison sentence.
An ImmD spokesperson emphasized that under Hong Kong law, obtaining services through deception is an offense punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment. Making false representations to Immigration Officers is also a punishable offense, carrying a maximum penalty of a $150,000 fine and 14 years' imprisonment.
一名香港居民因串謀以欺詐方式取得航空服務而被判入獄32個月
2024年6月4日 - 一名香港居民日前被區域法院判處入獄32個月,罪名是串謀以欺詐方式取得航空服務。這宗案件由入境事務處(入境處)逮捕和檢控。
這宗案件是入境處持續打擊非法移民活動的一部分。在2020年,入境處進行了一系列行動,成功發現一宗涉及一名香港居民(即被告)與他人串謀,協助一名內地人非法移民到加拿大的案件。
調查發現,在2019年,被告接觸了一名中間人,安排他取得一張往多倫多航班的登機證。被告使用其香港特別行政區護照,在內地的航空公司櫃檯取得登機證。其後,在機場禁區內,被告將登機證交給中間人,中間人then將之轉交給另一名內地人。該內地人其後使用被告的登機證成功登機前往加拿大多倫多。
在調查過程中,被告承認參與串謀協助該內地人非法移民的行為。因此,他被控一項串謀以欺詐方式取得航空服務的罪名。被告在區域法院認罪,最終被判入獄32個月。
入境處發言人強調,根據香港法律,以欺詐手段從他人取得服務屬罪行,一經定罪可被判最高10年監禁。另外,向入境處人員作出虛假陳述也是一項可處罰的罪行,最高可被罰款150,000元及入獄14年。
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