Speed Up Investigating Bogus Marriages: Auditor

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1588159_1_20210428175126.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1588159-20210428.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1588159-20210428.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });

2021-04-28 HKT 14:19

Share this story

facebook

  • A report by the Audit Commission said as of December 2020, there were 2,237 outstanding suspected bogus marriage cases. Image: Shutterstock

    A report by the Audit Commission said as of December 2020, there were 2,237 outstanding suspected bogus marriage cases. Image: Shutterstock

The Audit Commission on Wednesday called on the Immigration Department to clear a backlog of bogus marriage cases in Hong Kong.

A report by the public spending watchdog said as of December 2020, there were 2,237 outstanding suspected bogus marriage cases, of which almost half of them had been pending for up to two years.

The rest of them, meanwhile, had not been dealt with for between two and 11 years.

One case cited by the commission concerned a suspected bogus marriage in November 2012, which was flagged by mainland authorities as possible bigamy.

It said attempts to locate the suspect were "not entirely effective", despite the Immigration Department having made several phone calls and five home visits in 2013 to try to find him.

It was only in 2019 when the officers carried out a case update that they realised the suspect had died in January that year.

The watchdog advised the department to consider setting time targets for such cases, and step up efforts in locating suspects.

The Commission also called on the department to ensure its list of civil celebrants for marriages is up to date and to consider providing refresher courses for them.

According to the Marriage Ordinance, civil celebrants must be either a practising solicitor or a practising notary public.

However, the Audit Commission found that 34 of the 2,277 people listed by the authorities as civil celebrants were neither.

RECENT NEWS

Eric Trump To Speak At Bitcoin Asia 2025 In Hong Kong

Eric Trump, the second son of US president Donald Trump, is set to speak at the upcoming Bitcoin Asia 2025 conference i... Read more

Hong Kong Digital Banking Survey Reveals User Concerns And Growth Potential

ECHO ASIA, partnering with students from Global Business Studies, CUHK Business School, announced the release of the H... Read more

InvestHK Attracts HK$160 Billion In 2025, With Fintech As Top Sector

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced on 7 July 2025 that it supported over 1,300 overseas and Mainland companies in se... Read more

ZhongAn Online Completes US$500M H Share Placement To Fuel Core Insurance Growth

ZhongAn Online P & C Insurance Co., Ltd (Zhong An, HKEX:6060) announced the completion of its H share placement on ... Read more

Beyond KYC: How Technology Is Transforming The Fraud Prevention Game

Digital wallets and cryptocurrencies are two of the most targeted channels for fraud this year, according to SEON’s 2... Read more

2025 Hong Kong Fintech Report: What You Need To Know

Hong Kong is hitting the gas when it comes to fintech innovation, regulation and adoption. From the passage of the Stab... Read more