Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes
An incoming passenger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts today (November 17) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).
Customs officers intercepted an incoming private car at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point on November 15 and seized 16 780 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $83,900 and a duty potential of about $55,000, from a male passenger's personal luggage. The 58-year-old passenger was subsequently arrested.
Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.
Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Court makes review decision on sentencing for violating occupational safety and health legislation
Regarding the sentencing in a fatal industrial accident, the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (December 8) handed down a review decision, accepting the prosecution's application for review of an earlier court sentence, increasing the fines imposed on the contractor and shortening the duration, with higher amounts for the monthly instalment of the fines.
The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on May 7, 2022, at a residential unit under renovation in Jordan. A scaffolder, while preparing to erect a truss-out bamboo scaffold on an external wall, fell to the ground and died.
The contractor was prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for the violation of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations, and was fined $90,000 and allowed to pay the fines in 90 instalments of $1,000 per month at the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts on November 8, 2024.
After the sentencing, the prosecution filed a review application with the court regarding the sentences imposed on the relevant contractor. The review hearing was brought up today before the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts. The fines imposed on the contractor were increased to $160,000 and were payable in 74 instalments of $2,000 per month after deducting the fine of $12,000 that has already been paid.
A spokesman for the LD said that the ruling will disseminate a strong message to all contractors that they have to protect workers' safety and health at work in accordance with the laws. The prosecution will continue to pay attention to court rulings and will file review or appeal applications for cases where the sentences are manifestly inadequate and/or wrong in principle.
Source: AI-found images
