A 55-year-old Hong Kong woman has been convicted of arranging bogus marriages for mainland Chinese and foreign domestic workers. The syndicate she represented set up fake marriages to Hong Kong men, and was the first of its kind to be busted by Hong Kong Immigration.
The defendant Chan Oi-fan, who was identified as the mastermind of the scheme, was convicted of four counts of conspiracy to defraud and one count of perverting the course of justice at the District Court on Friday, according to a government release.
The Immigration Department began an operation into the fake marriage ring in 2017 that resulted in the arrests of 37 people aged between 29 and 65. Those arrested included 22 Hong Kong residents, two from mainland China, nine female domestic workers from India and four female domestic workers from Nepal.
Assistant Immigration Director William Fung said the syndicate had arranged around 17 fake marriages and made around HK$2 million (US$255,000), Apple Daily reported.
Fung said that during the course of an investigation into a case of suspected bigamy, a photo of the suspected mastermind was found on the the mobile phone of a mainlander under investigation. However the suspect was unable to provide any more details of the person in the photograph.
Through online research and site visits after carefully examining the photo, investigators successfully identified the mastermind, who worked as a security guard in a shopping mall in Kowloon.
The mastermind, Chan, with help from a friend who speaks Nepalese and Indian dialects, lured domestic workers into fake marriages with Hong Kong men, after which they could apply for residence as the dependents of their “husbands” and then become free to take up any employment in the city.
Chan’s customers each handed over between HK$40,000 and HK$150,000 (US$5,097 to US$19,114) for their fake marriages. Customers from mainland China reportedly paid HK$70,000.
Hong Kong men who played along as spouses in the bogus marriages received between HK$20,000 and HK$60,000.
The gang took pictures of the fake couples in various settings or in short-time hotels to use as proof of their relationship. They also made up love stories and asked the fake couples to memorize them in case they were interviewed by immigration officials.
In May 2017, Chan was arrested. A pile of documents relating to bogus marriages including copies of Hong Kong Identity Cards, mainland travel documents, foreign passports and transaction records were seized from her home. A large amount of information on persons involved, including photographs and marriage certificates, was found on memory cards and mobile phones seized.
Chan will be sentenced on February 28.
Asia Times has relaunched on www.asiatimes.com. Download our brand new native App for a sweeping selection of geopolitical and business news from across Asia.
Hi this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!
you’re really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is amazing. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. In addition, The contents are masterwork. you’ve done a fantastic job on this topic!
This is a very good tips especially to those new to blogosphere, brief and accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
Together with the whole thing that appears to be developing inside this specific area, many of your opinions tend to be very refreshing. However, I am sorry, but I do not subscribe to your entire strategy, all be it radical none the less. It looks to me that your commentary are not totally rationalized and in simple fact you are generally your self not really thoroughly confident of the assertion. In any case I did take pleasure in examining it.
I consider something really interesting about your web site so I saved to my bookmarks.
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before. So nice to find anyone with some unique ideas on this subject. realy thanks for beginning this up. this website is something that is wanted on the internet, somebody with somewhat originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet!
Good – I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs and related information ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, web site theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task..
great put up, very informative. I wonder why the opposite experts of this sector do not notice this. You should continue your writing. I am sure, you have a huge readers’ base already!
I truly enjoy studying on this website, it has excellent articles. “Never fight an inanimate object.” by P. J. O’Rourke.
As a Newbie, I am permanently browsing online for articles that can help me. Thank you
of course like your web-site however you have to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it very troublesome to tell the truth however I’ll certainly come again again.
I’d perpetually want to be update on new blog posts on this site, saved to bookmarks! .
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
I simply couldn’t go away your web site before suggesting that I really enjoyed the standard information a person supply on your visitors? Is gonna be back ceaselessly in order to investigate cross-check new posts
Attractive element of content. I simply stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact loved account your blog posts. Anyway I will be subscribing to your feeds or even I success you get entry to constantly fast.
Thank you for another informative website. Where else could I get that type of information written in such an ideal way? I have a project that I am just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such info.
Thank you for every other wonderful post. The place else may just anyone get that type of information in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am at the look for such information.
It’s actually a nice and helpful piece of info. I am glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
I was suggested this website by means of my cousin. I’m no longer sure whether or not this put up is written by him as nobody else recognise such targeted about my trouble. You are incredible! Thanks!
I wanted to compose a quick remark in order to say thanks to you for all of the lovely guidelines you are giving out here. My extended internet look up has at the end of the day been honored with reasonable details to share with my family and friends. I ‘d claim that most of us website visitors actually are extremely fortunate to exist in a fabulous site with so many wonderful professionals with valuable concepts. I feel quite fortunate to have encountered your entire weblog and look forward to plenty of more fabulous moments reading here. Thanks a lot once again for a lot of things.