Under section 73 of the Crimes Ordinance (“CO”), any person who is convicted of the offences of using a false documents shall be liable for maximum imprisonment for 14 years.
Using a false instrument: Under section 75(1) CO, any person who
- possesses a false instrument and
- induces somebody to accept it as genuine,
- resulting in the representor acting or not acting in a way in prejudice to others
shall be liable for maximum imprisonment for 14 years.
Possessing a false instrument: Under section 75(2) CO, any person who simply possesses a false instrument shall be liable for maximum imprisonment for 3 years.
In HKSAR v Woo Mei Bo, Mable (CACC 274/2014), the defendant presented copies of a false bank statement and induced others to believe that the instrument was genuine and act in a prejudiced way. The defendant was sentenced for a total of 6 years’ imprisonment.
