Hong Kong resident jailed for conspiracy to defraud and making false statutory declaration
A Hong Kong male resident was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud and one count of making a false statutory declaration. He pleaded guilty to the charges at Shatin Magistrates' Courts, and was convicted and sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment yesterday (August 31).
The Outside Investigation Section of the Immigration Department (ImmD) through intelligence analysis found that the 32-year-old defendant married a Mainland female resident in Hong Kong in February 2025. The said female later obtained a Confirmation Certificate on Delivery Booking from a local private hospital for delivery services in Hong Kong by virtue of her marital relationship with the defendant. The said female attempted to enter Hong Kong for delivery in June of the same year. Due to doubts about the marital relationship between her and the defendant, she was refused permission to land by the ImmD and subsequently gave birth on the Mainland.
During the follow-up investigation by the ImmD, the defendant was arrested. The defendant admitted under caution that under the arrangement of a middleman, he was paid a total of about $50,000 as a monetary reward to contract a bogus marriage with the Mainland female resident in order to assist her to obtain visit endorsements and residency status in Hong Kong. The defendant also admitted that he knowingly made a false statutory declaration at a District Office, claiming to be the father of the expectant child of the Mainland femaleresident even though he knew that the expectant baby was not born to him, in order to assist the Mainlandfemale resident to obtain a Confirmation Certificate on Delivery Booking for delivery in Hong Kong. The investigation of other suspects is still underway, and the ImmD does not rule out the possibility of further arrests.
"The ImmD is concerned about the situation of non-local pregnant women seeking to give birth in Hong Kong by illegal means. While great efforts are made to intercept non-local pregnant women without a confinement booking at the control points, vigorous enforcement actions have also been taken to combat related immigration offences committed by non-local pregnant women and their abettors. Furthermore, the ImmD will continue to spare no effort in combating bogus marriages. For people who have obtained their residency in Hong Kong by fraudulent means, their Hong Kong identity card and residence status will be invalidated according to the laws of Hong Kong. They will also be subject to removal back to their place of origin," an ImmD spokesman said.
"According to the Immigration Ordinance, any person who makes any statement or representation which he knows to be false or does not believe to be true to immigration officers commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and the same penalties. Conspiracy to defraud is a serious offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction, under the Crimes Ordinance, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 14 years. Moreover, under the Crimes Ordinance, a person who knowingly and wilfully makes a false statutory declaration shall be liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to the maximum penalty of imprisonment for two years," the ImmDspokesman warned.
Source: AI-found images
Third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony held
The Innovation and Technology Commission today (September 1) held the third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony. The new cluster, namely SEAM@InnoHK, focuses on four frontier technology fields - sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials - marking an important milestone in Hong Kong's journey to become an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub.
Eight research centres have been approved for admission to SEAM@InnoHK, with total government funding support of around HK$2.5 billion. The centres are led by renowned local and overseas universities and research institutions, and have established collaborations with a number of top-tier universities and research institutions from the Chinese Mainland and worldwide, with a network spanning the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, etc, together forming a cross-Eurasian landscape for international I&T collaboration.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said that research of the eight research centres spans next-generation semiconductors, sustainable energy and innovative materials, space manufacturing and advanced manufacturing technologies, as well as smart energy management. The initiative echoes the call to drive high-end manufacturing, accelerate growth of strategic emerging industries and deepen green transition under the National 15th Five-Year Plan.
Professor Sun said that by integrating advanced technologies into local industries, the third research cluster demonstrates the Government's unwavering commitment to promoting real-world applications of research outcomes with a view to accelerating Hong Kong's development into an international I&T centre.
The participating institutions of the centres include many of the world's top 100 universities and research and development institutes in frontier technology fields, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's unique advantage as a "super connector" to seamlessly bridge top-tier international academic resources with local industrial needs. Currently, the eight research centres are actively preparing to set up their laboratories and will come into operations progressively to inject new momentum into Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem.
Other officiating guests at the launch ceremony included the Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Kevin Choi; Deputy Director-General of the Economic and Financial Department II of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr Lyu Feng; the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Ivan Lee; the Chairman of the Board of Directors of theHong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), Ms Cordelia Chung; and the Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP, Mr Terry Wong, as well as representatives from collaborating universities and research institutions. The centre head/co-head of each research centre also introduced their centres' research focuses in frontier technology fields at the launch ceremony.
InnoHK is a flagship international I&T initiative of the Government, aimed at bringing together world-class institutions and local universities to establish research centres in Hong Kong. The Government has invested HK$10 billion to successfully set up two major platforms: Health@InnoHK, focusing on healthcare technology, and AIR@InnoHK, focusing on AI and robotics technology. To date, they have attracted over 30 top-notch universities and research institutions from 12 economies worldwide, funded more than 30 research centres, and pooled together about 3 000 local and overseas researchers, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's pivotal role in the global I&T network. The establishment of the third cluster, SEAM@InnoHK, expands the research collaboration network to emerging areas including sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials.
Third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony held Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
