The District Court yesterday sentenced three men to 21 months in jail for using a false instrument.

The trio - a 61-year-old Mainlander, a 54-year-old Malaysian and a 73-year-old Hong Kong man - went to a bank and produced a US$30 million cashier's order and a confirmation letter purportedly issued by the bank in December 2007.

They alleged they intended to use the documents to apply for a loan from another bank, but it was declined as the envelope with the documents inside was torn. They asked the first bank to put them in a new envelope, which the bank had done.

The second bank received the package, but doubted the documents' authenticity. It subsequently confirmed the cashier's order and confirmation letter were forged after checking with the first bank, which then reported to the Police.

Officers arrested the three defendants who denied knowledge that the documents were false and claimed they were told to deliver them to the first bank by another man who alleged to be a proprietor of a company incorporated in June 2006, but carried out no actual business in Hong Kong.

The three were subsequently jointly charged with two counts of using a false instrument and were convicted of all the offences.