Hong Kong – Mainland visitor jailed for making false representation

     A Mainland visitor was convicted of two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts today (August 4).
 
     The 52-year-old male defendant arrived in Hong Kong at the Lo Wu Control Point on August 2, 2023. He falsely told an Immigration Officer that he was in transit to Bangkok, Thailand, and presented his People’s Republic of China passport and an electronic air ticket showing that he was departing on the following day. He was then granted entry to Hong Kong. When the defendant intended to depart for Macao on the same day at the Macau Ferry Terminal Control Point, he was intercepted for further examination. He again falsely claimed that he would come back to Hong Kong and depart for Thailand on the following day after his trip to Macao. Upon further investigation, he admitted that his actual purpose of visit was not for sightseeing in Hong Kong or transiting through Hong Kong to Thailand but only for visiting Macao.
 
     The arrested Mainland visitor was charged with two counts of making false representation to an Immigration Officer at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts today. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment for each offence, with part of the sentence to run consecutively, making a total of nine months’ imprisonment.
 
     The ImmD spokesman warned that, under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes false representation to an Immigration Officer 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.