Bogus marriage syndicate smashed
Immigration officials have smashed a bogus marriage syndicate helping mainlanders obtain Hong Kong residency. The syndicate, which advertised in local newspapers to lure participants, is believed to have made HK$7.2 million from at least 180 bogus marriages since the end of last year.
Officers arrested 17 men and two women, aged 23 to 65, in the two-day operation.
Two of those arrested were key members of the syndicate, while the others were people who had taken part in bogus marriages.
Principal immigration officer Wong Yin-sang said it was the first time the department had launched an investigation into marriage scams. In the past, it had acted only on complaints.
Mainland participants were charged 40,000 yuan (HK$48,780) to be provided with a Hong Kong marriage partner, who received between HK$5,000 and HK$10,000.
Officers also seized copies of identity cards and home return permits at the home of one of the key syndicate members, and two computers.
The marriage registry has stepped up its checks of suspicious cases since July, resulting in 19 couples withdrawing their marriage applications and five being charged in relation to bogus marriages. They were sentenced to between four and 14 months in jail. Involvement in a bogus marriage is punishable by up to seven years' jail.
Wong said officers checked couples who carried out marriage registrations on their own, without any relatives taking part.
Assistant director of immigration Leung Kwok-hung said the syndicate was very sophisticated and had kept detailed records of marriage participants.
He said the department would continue to investigate other people, including agents on the mainland and mainlanders who had successfully obtained residency in Hong Kong through bogus marriages, and did not rule out more arrests.
7
The maximum number of years Hong Kong courts can hand down in jail terms for those convicted of being involved in a bogus marriage
