By Vir B. Lumicao
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| Shatin magistrate denied bail to defendant who is accused of leading the 'syndicate' |
A Filipina described as the ringleader of a syndicate using bogus domestic helper contracts to obtain an employment visa in Hong Kong was charged today, Feb 18, of making a false statement to Immigration officers.
Arleen Villanueva, 34, was denied bail when she appeared
before Magistrate Jason Wan in
Court documents show she was detained on Feb 16, but did not give details of her arrest.
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The prosecution said the Filipina made a false statement that she worked for a certain Tam Cheuk-yin from May 2020 to December 2020 in applying for a domestic helper visa last Dec 22.
But Tam reportedly denied the defendant worked for her, and even agreed to be a witness for the prosecution.
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The prosecutor opposed granting bail to Villanueva, saying her case was serious, as she appeared to be the mastermind of a syndicate behind the fake contracts. If she were allowed to post bail, she might contact other persons related to the case.
The magistrate pointed out there was nothing on the charge sheet that mentioned a syndicate was behind the fake contract, but the government lawyer replied it was mentioned during the investigation.
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Wan asked the defense lawyer if the new employer named in the Dec 22 contract did employ Villanueva, but the latter said he had no instruction from the defendant regarding that matter.
The counsel applied for bail for Villanueva, saying she could raise her offer to $2,000.
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He said the defendant came to
Wan refused the Filipina’s bail application and set the next hearing date to Mar 25.
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