Senior Police Superintendent and company director jailed for work visa fraud
2001-8-21
A Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and a director of an equipment supplier were each jailed for six months at District Court today (Tuesday) for conspiring to provide false information to the Immigration Department in order to obtain an employment vi sa for a Mongolian woman.
Brian John HEARD, 56, SSP attached to the Police Forensic Firearms Examination Bureau, and Peter John COOMBER, 48, director of OED Limited, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy offence.
Deputy Judge Peter White said since the conspiracy offence committed by the defendants was serious and involved a senior police officer, he took 12 months' imprisonment as the starting point.
The judge added that in sentencing, he had taken into account various mitigating factors, including HEARD's distinguished service record with the Police, good character and clear records as well as COOMBER's business loss and the fact that he had not made any financial gain from the scam.
OED Limited, which is a local company, supplies equipment for firearms examination to the Hong Kong Police Force and provides maintenance services of technical equipment.
The court heard that between October 5, 1998 and May 10, 1999, HEARD and COOMBER had conspired together to furnish false representation to an immigration officer.
The false representation suggested that Gonchigsuren ODSUREN, a Mongolian woman, was to become employed as a technical author and interpreter for a special consultancy project between OED Limited and the Hong Kong Police Force, and that ODSUREN was requir ed for her translation skills of scientific texts from Russian or Mongolian into English.
In fact, there was no such special consultancy project for which translation was required, and ODSUREN never did translation work for the Hong Kong Police Force.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos, assisted by ICAC officer Roger Lam.
Brian John HEARD, 56, SSP attached to the Police Forensic Firearms Examination Bureau, and Peter John COOMBER, 48, director of OED Limited, earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy offence.
Deputy Judge Peter White said since the conspiracy offence committed by the defendants was serious and involved a senior police officer, he took 12 months' imprisonment as the starting point.
The judge added that in sentencing, he had taken into account various mitigating factors, including HEARD's distinguished service record with the Police, good character and clear records as well as COOMBER's business loss and the fact that he had not made any financial gain from the scam.
OED Limited, which is a local company, supplies equipment for firearms examination to the Hong Kong Police Force and provides maintenance services of technical equipment.
The court heard that between October 5, 1998 and May 10, 1999, HEARD and COOMBER had conspired together to furnish false representation to an immigration officer.
The false representation suggested that Gonchigsuren ODSUREN, a Mongolian woman, was to become employed as a technical author and interpreter for a special consultancy project between OED Limited and the Hong Kong Police Force, and that ODSUREN was requir ed for her translation skills of scientific texts from Russian or Mongolian into English.
In fact, there was no such special consultancy project for which translation was required, and ODSUREN never did translation work for the Hong Kong Police Force.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Kevin Zervos, assisted by ICAC officer Roger Lam.