Two men have appeared in court for their alleged roles in smuggling a Mainland woman from Hong Kong to the US via South Korea.

Waiters Yu Yuen-chup, 43, and Shek Hung-lit, 40, faced charges of conspiracy to transfer to another a travel document, conspiracy to obtain services by deception, and conspiracy to defraud at Eastern Magistracy today. No pleas were taken and Magistrate Allan Wyeth adjourned the case to September 11 pending further enquiries and legal advice. The men were granted bail.

The case arose from a complaint alleging that some law enforcement officers might have accepted advantages from a human smuggling syndicate as reward for helping smuggle Mainlanders to the US from Hong Kong.

One of the charges alleges the defendants conspired with others to transfer a passport issued by Hong Kong in the name of another person to the woman without reasonable excuse.

They also allegedly conspired with others to dishonestly obtain Korean Air flight services from Hong Kong to Incheon, by falsely representing that the woman was a passenger in the name of that other person, and that she was the holder of the passport.

The last charge alleges the defendants conspired with others to defraud US immigration officers, dishonestly causing the woman to use the passport to enter the country, and falsely representing that she was the genuine holder.

The offences took place between December 1 and January 24.