The defendant, Li Sixuan (28, undeclared occupation, holder of a travel permit to Hong Kong and Macau), was charged with three offences for allegedly using a false academic qualification to enrol at the University of Hong Kong
A 28-year-old Chinese woman who came to Hong Kong on a two-way permit lied about having studied at Columbia University in the United States, and falsely claimed to the University of Hong Kong that she had a bachelor's degree from the university. She was approved to study for a Master of Arts degree at the University of Hong Kong, and then possessed a false certificate from the University of Hong Kong. She was charged with three crimes including "obtaining services by deception". The defendant had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges, but the charge of "making false statements to obtain an entry permit" was dropped. The case was sentenced on Thursday (8th). Acting Chief Magistrate Zheng Jihang pointed out that after the defendant dishonestly obtained the master's admission qualification of the University of Hong Kong, "she has been carrying out dishonest behavior". She did not stop because she was able to study for a master's degree at the University of Hong Kong. Instead, she further possessed a graduation certificate from the University of Hong Kong that falsely claimed to have "excellent" grades. She believed that the sentences for the two crimes could not be served in full at the same time, and sentenced the defendant to 240 days' imprisonment.
Defense: No evidence that the defendant intended to use the fake certificate for illegal purposes
The defendant, Li Sixuan (28 years old, did not declare her occupation, holds a pass for traveling to and from Hong Kong and Macau), earlier pleaded guilty to the charges of "obtaining services by deception" and "possession of false documents". Following discussions between the prosecution and the defense, the charge of "making false statements to obtain an entry permit" was dropped.
Acting Chief Magistrate Cheng Kei-hang had earlier expressed concern over whether the HKU master's programme involved had any quota restrictions. As soon as the court opened this morning, Judge Cheng stated that sentencing was adjourned until today as the prosecution was investigating whether the defendant's admission had affected another applicant. The prosecution responded by stating that the HKU master's programme had a total of 95 places, but due to insufficient enrollment, the school only admitted 93 students. They confirmed to Judge Cheng that the defendant's admission "did not affect another applicant who could have been admitted."
Judge Cheng referred two other cases to the prosecution and defense for reference, each involving defendants in possession of false industrial safety training certificates. The starting point for sentencing was 15 months' imprisonment. The defense argued that the defendants in these cases were involved in more than one offense, and the court was concerned that they would use the false documents for illegal purposes. However, in this case, the false certificates seized by police from the defendant's home "provided no evidence that he (the defendant) intended to use them for illegal purposes," and therefore hoped the court would focus the sentence on the defendant's fraudulent conduct. The defense also adopted its previous mitigation argument, reiterating that the defendant acknowledged his mistakes and that "these postponements have caused him significant physical and mental distress." The defense hoped the court would consider the background and circumstances of the case and impose a lighter sentence.
The 40-day sentence for one of the crimes must be served in installments
The defendant, Li Sixuan (28 years old, did not declare her occupation, holds a pass for traveling to and from Hong Kong and Macau), earlier pleaded guilty to the charges of "obtaining services by deception" and "possession of false documents". Following discussions between the prosecution and the defense, the charge of "making false statements to obtain an entry permit" was dropped.
Acting Chief Magistrate Cheng Kei-hang had earlier expressed concern over whether the HKU master's programme involved had any quota restrictions. As soon as the court opened this morning, Judge Cheng stated that sentencing was adjourned until today as the prosecution was investigating whether the defendant's admission had affected another applicant. The prosecution responded by stating that the HKU master's programme had a total of 95 places, but due to insufficient enrollment, the school only admitted 93 students. They confirmed to Judge Cheng that the defendant's admission "did not affect another applicant who could have been admitted."
Judge Cheng referred two other cases to the prosecution and defense for reference, each involving defendants in possession of false industrial safety training certificates. The starting point for sentencing was 15 months' imprisonment. The defense argued that the defendants in these cases were involved in more than one offense, and the court was concerned that they would use the false documents for illegal purposes. However, in this case, the false certificates seized by police from the defendant's home "provided no evidence that he (the defendant) intended to use them for illegal purposes," and therefore hoped the court would focus the sentence on the defendant's fraudulent conduct. The defense also adopted its previous mitigation argument, reiterating that the defendant acknowledged his mistakes and that "these postponements have caused him significant physical and mental distress." The defense hoped the court would consider the background and circumstances of the case and impose a lighter sentence.
The 40-day sentence for one of the crimes must be served in installments
In sentencing, Judge Zheng stated that the defendant falsely claimed to have a degree from Columbia University and dishonestly obtained admission to a master's degree at the University of Hong Kong. He described the defendant as "consistently engaging in dishonest behavior" and not stopping just because he was able to study for a master's degree. Instead, he went further and possessed a false HKU graduation certificate, in which he falsely claimed that the grades were "excellent." He believed that the sentences for the two crimes could not be served in full at the same time. He used 300 days' imprisonment as the starting point for sentencing for each charge, deducting 3% of the sentence for the guilty plea. The 40-day sentence for one of the crimes had to be served in installments, so the defendant's total sentence was 240 days' imprisonment.
The case alleges that in 2021, the University of Hong Kong received an online application from the defendant for a Master of Arts program. The defendant claimed to have completed a bachelor's degree in linguistics from Columbia University in the United States and provided original transcripts and diplomas for verification. The university accepted the defendant, but in March 2024, it received multiple complaints alleging that someone had used fraudulent academic qualifications when applying for a master's degree. An internal investigation revealed the defendant to be the applicant. Columbia University also responded, stating that the defendant had never attended the university's program and that the defendant's transcripts and diploma were not issued by the university.
Paid RMB 380,000 to an intermediary to participate in Columbia University's online digital course
In April of the same year, the University of Hong Kong requested the defendant to meet with the school but was rejected. The University of Hong Kong finally called the police on July 19 and terminated the defendant's studies. The defendant attempted to leave Hong Kong from Lok Ma Chau the next day but was stopped by Immigration Department officers. Under caution, he said that he was a bachelor's graduate from Wuhan College of Central South University of Economics and Law. He admitted that after paying RMB 380,000 to the intermediary "Academic Emperor", he was arranged to study in Hong Kong and take several days of online courses at Columbia University. He was later told that he had graduated.
The case file continued that when the police searched the defendant's residence, they found that she was in possession of a graduation certificate issued by the University of Hong Kong on June 12, 2024. However, the University of Hong Kong stated that the graduation ceremony of that year was held on June 11, and the defendant's result was "Pass", not "Distinction" on the certificate. After inspection, the certificate was also confirmed to be forged.
