Two men have been jailed by the District Court for conspiring to defraud the Immigration Department over the employment of foreign domestic helpers.

Cheung Mo-sun, 35, was jailed for an effective term of two years after pleading guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the breaching of conditions of stay, three counts of conspiracy to defraud and three counts of employing a person not lawfully employable. Ngai Kiu-kin, 46, was given nine months jail after admitting to one count of conspiracy to defraud.

Six foreign women were found working in an unlicensed food-processing factory at Lok Ma Chau. Cheung, the factory owner, admitted he hired the three Filipinas, two Indonesians and one Nepalese to work as packing workers. They were either overstayers or foreign domestic helpers. They were each charged and convicted and served their jail sentences in Hong Kong.

Cheung also illegally deployed his Filipina maid to work at his factory, and conspired with an employment agent to obtain work visas for two Indonesian domestic helpers using fake contracts.

Meanwhile, Ngai admitted that he agreed with an employment agent to act as an Indonesian domestic helper's nominal contractual employer. In return, the agent would refer foreign domestic helpers to buy air-tickets or apply for visas through his travel agency.