An Immigration Officer, charged by the ICAC for his alleged involvement in illicit passport trade, was found guilty by a jury of the Court of First Instance today (Thursday).

Madam Justice Claire Beeson adjourned the case to tomorrow (Friday) for sentence, and remanded the defendant in the custody of the Correctional Services Department.

Lam Yuk-fai, 42, was convicted of one count of possessing a false diplomatic passport purportedly issued by the Republic of Guinea Bissau.

He was also convicted of one count of conspiring with Chu Hak-lan to transfer diplomatic passports of the Government of Sao Tome and Principe to a person known as Arkadiy without reasonable excuse.

The offences took place between January 1997 and March 1999.

Chu, a former Inspector of the Customs and Excise Department charged in relation to the same investigation, was earlier jailed for four-and-a-half years for possessing unlawfully obtained passports issued by the Republic of Brazil and handling proceeds of an indictable offence.

The prosecution was today represented by Peter Callaghan on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Eric Fung.