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| Eastern Court |
A Filipino who submitted a fake Pakistani license so he could be exempted from taking the driving test required of applicants from the Philippines, was sentenced at Eastern Court today to four months in jail, suspended for 12 months.
This meant that J. Ong, 27 years old and a supervisor at an airline lounge at the Chek Lap Kok airport, may not have to serve a day of his sentence if he does not reoffend.
However, he had already stayed in jail for
two weeks, after pleading guilty in an earlier hearing to the charge of violating
the Common Law, which is punishable under section 159C(6) of the Crimes
Ordinance.
Ong admitted that he “conspired together with a person
unknown… by dishonestly falsely representing to the staff of the Transport
Department” that he was eligible for the direct issue of a full Hong Kong
driving license without test.
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| DETAILS HERE |
A complaint filed by the Independent Commission against
Corruption accused Ong of “inducing the staff of the Transport Department to
act contrary to their public duty, namely, to approve, and grant a full Hong
Kong driving licence...” when he applied for it between Oct. 21, 2022 and Aug. 9,
2023.
“This is a serious case” and a financial penalty is not
enough, Magistrate Minnie Wat said, explaining that the licensing system for drivers
is there to protect road users.
In mitigation, Ong’s lawyer said that the offense took place
after he was laid off at the airport during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he was
desperate to find a job.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
He thought having a driving license would help improve his chances of finding a new job, so he applied for a license but failed the driving test.
It was then that a friend told him that he knew someone who
could get him a Pakistani driving license, which is convertible to a Hong Kong one.
Despite this, Ong's lawyer said, "He never used the license. He admitted he was frightened to
go on the road with it."
The lawyer said Ong is remorseful for what happened and
that the offense was out of character.
“When he was arrested,
he made a full admission to ICAC, assisted the ICAC and will help in the future,”
although the person who sold him the Pakistani license has since left Hong Kong,
the lawyer added.
An ICAC representative in the courtroom confirmed that Ong
wwas helping the investigation, which is still ongoing.
