Mainland Visitor Permit Woman to Face November Fraud Trial
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
A 42-year-old woman holding a Two-way Permit will stand trial on November 2 at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts over allegations that she conspired with others in 2018 to deceive Hong Kong immigration authorities and obtain maternity services from Union Hospital. The case was relisted after the defence, having received prosecution documents about a key witness, said it would not apply to terminate the hearing.
Key Points
- Defendant Chow Fu-yung (周芙容), 42, faces one count of conspiracy to defraud and one count of conspiracy to obtain services by deception.
- Prosecutors allege that between an unspecified day in 2018 and April 20, 2018, she conspired with Lee Yin-fung and a man identified as Alan.
- The first charge alleges a sham marriage was used to falsely tell the Immigration Department she was coming to visit spouse Lee Yin-fung and reunite with him.
- The second charge alleges she falsely claimed Lee was the biological father of her unborn child, dishonestly securing postnatal delivery services at Union Hospital.
- The trial had originally been fixed for June, but was delayed after the defence challenged the credibility of the key “fixer” witness over an alleged money-laundering case.
Why It Matters
The November trial will test prosecution evidence on whether false marital and paternity claims were used to obtain both entry approval and private hospital maternity services in Hong Kong. It also follows a pre-trial dispute over disclosure relating to a key witness, an issue that can affect how the defence cross-examines at trial.