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Courier of fake documents given two years' imprisonment
A courier of fake travel documents, who was arrested at Airport just on his way to overseas despatch, received a two-year imprisonment sentence for possession of nine pieces of forged Hong Kong travel documents and identity cards.
The 37-year-old man was found guilty at the District Court for two counts of possession of forged, false, unlawfully obtained or unlawfully altered travel document and one count of possession of forged identity card. He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment for each charge, to run concurrently.
The local merchant claimed he was asked to put a forged British National (Overseas) passport at a specified location for his client at the Airport Transit Lounge on September 2 last year. He would then despatch another three BNO passports, one Hong Kong Certificate of Identity and four Hong Kong identity cards to Sai Pan by flight. He was paid HK$10,000 for the assignment.
The defendant was stopped by Immigration Special Operation Team members at Kai Tak Airport Transit Lounge after the investigators found the defendant had put a travel document into a magazine at the airport bookstore.
During subsequent enquiries and search, three other BNO passports, one Certificate of Identity and four identity cards were found in his hand carry baggage. Forensic examination revealed that the travel documents were photo-substituted whereas the identity cards were counterfeit.
"It is an offence in law to have in possession of forged, false or unlawfully altered travel documents, offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction the maximum penalty will be a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years," a spokesman for the Immigration Department said today (Thursday).
The spokesman added that possession of forged identity card was a serious offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for 10 years.
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