An 81-year-old local man and a 63-year-old woman who married in 2004 were taken in for questioning on Friday and Thursday respectively for their alleged involvement in a sham marriage, Public Security Police (PSP) Leong Chi Seng said at a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Leong, the male suspect is surnamed Ao, while the woman surnamed Lin is originally from the mainland but obtained a Macau ID in 2009.
Leong said that the Public Security Police recently received a report from the Identification Services Bureau (DSI) which found a completed marriage registration application to be suspicious. According to Leong, after identifying the suspects the police intercepted Lam at the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Thursday, while the police questioned Ao in a retirement home in Avenida do Almirante Lacerda.
Leong said Ao told the police that a friend of his suggested he take part in a sham marriage in 2004 for which he would be paid 10,000 patacas. Ao accepted the money as he has a gambling habit, Leong said, while Lin told the police that she wanted to find a better job in Macau. Ao married Lin in 2004, and eventually applied for her to move to Macau for family reunion, Leong said, adding that Lin obtained a Macau ID in 2009. Lin’s daughter also obtained a Macau ID later on.
Ao and Lin have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing document forgery and false statement charges, according to Leong.
Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Leong Chi Seng looks on during yesterday’s press conference at the PSP pressroom.
Photo: William Chan
