Overstayer for 20 years jailed 15 months for illegal work

 

For 20 years, a Filipina who came to Hong Kong as a tourist and overstayed, managed to evade detection. But her luck ran out last year when she was arrested for illegally working as a dishwasher.

In Eastern Court yesterday, Judy Joan Liban, 58 years old, was jailed for a total of 15 months after she pleaded guilty to violating her visa condition by overstaying, and for working illegally.

Acting Principal Magistrate Don So imposed a 15-month sentence for each charge, but ordered them to run at the same time. However, he did not give her the usual one-third discount for her guilty plea.

Liban was arrested on Dec. 20, 2023 in a restaurant on Shell St in North Point while wearing an apron and washing dishes, and was found to have remained in Hong Kong after her tourist visa expired on Dec. 3, 2004.

She was charged with violating section 38AA(1)(c) of the Immigration Ordinance which statse that tourists must not take any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establish or join in any business, and section 38AA(2) which prescribes a penalty of fine at Level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment of 15 months.

Basahin ang detalye!

Separately, a 50-year-old Filipina who remained in Hong Kong despite a deportation order, was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty at Shatin Court.

Glenda Manalo’s admission of the offence caused acting Principal Magistrate Cheang Kei-hong to cancel another hearing scheduled for Jan. 2 next year.

Manalo was arrested last Nov. 16 on a charge of violating section 43(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, which prescribes a maximum penalty of three years in jail.

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