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| The case was tried at Shatin Court |
Two Filipina domestic helpers were acquitted today after a trial at Shatin Court, of working illegally in a restaurant in Central.
Marlyne Ogues, 35 years old, and Mary Jane Bienes, 43, dabbed tears of joy as they listened to the verdict of Deputy Magistrate Tai Kwan-hang, who said the evidence failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they breached their condition of stay which prohibits domestic helpers from doing work other than specified in their contracts.
Magistrate
Tai raised doubts about their guilt when he noted that they were just standing idly
when found by Immigration officers in the restaurant, which had its own three
workers.
He also gave
credence to their claim that they were in the restaurant because they had asked
for permission from the restaurant’s owner, who was Ogues’s employer under a
domestic helper contract approved by the Immigration Department, to use its
kitchen to prepare food for their group’s outing.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Their
co-accused, Bangladeshi Lili Akther, aged 24, was also acquitted of working illegally
with an expired DH visa, but was found guilty of overstaying for one year and
five months in violation of the Immigration Ordinance.
Magistrate Tai sentenced her to four weeks in prison, suspended for 15 months, for being in Hong Kong on May 20, 2024 when she was supposed to have left two weeks after her domestic helper contract was terminated on Dec. 3, 2022.
The
three were arrested by Immigration officers last May 20 in a restaurant in
Central, in one of the anti-illegal worker operations conducted by the Immigration Department on May
20-23.
During
these operations, Immigration officers raided 165 target locations including
massage parlors, premises under renovation and restaurants. Arrested with them
were four men and one woman suspected of employing illegal workers.
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| Pindutin dito para sa iba pang mga detalye |
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