FDH to be deported for selling fake Adidas jackets in Central

Filipino domestic workers at the HSBC building in Central

SHE claimed she “did not know” the brand with the three stripes.

A Filipino domestic worker will be deported back to the Philippines after she was found guilty of selling a fake Adidas jacket at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) building in Central.

Defendant Mer Angeli G.S. claimed that she “did not know” the brand Adidas and so she did not know she was selling a fake Adidas jacket to her fellow Filipinos hanging out at the HSBC building when she was arrested in February 2018.

“The defendant said she did not know the forged trademark and had no reason to suspect that it was fake,” said Magistrate Pang Leung-Ting on May 16.

The defendant said her village was “remote…six hours from Manila and there’s not even a supermarket there.” The judge was not convinced.

“The defendant’s account was not sensible or reasonable. Adidas is an international brand and its advertisements can be seen in newspapers, magazines, TV, MTR stations, and bus stops,” Judge Pang said.

“Secondly, the defendant started working in September 2016. She had been in HK for one and a half year by February (2018 when she was arrested). It is hardly believable that she was totally ignorant of the products of Adidas,” he added.

The magistrate found her guilty on all the three cases—selling goods with a fake trademark, possessing goods with a fake trademark, and breach of condition of stay—filed against her.

An undercover officer had caught the defendant selling the fake Adidas jacket on Feb. 11 last year, a Sunday.

But since she did not establish “a permanent store” and deprive locals of employment, Judge Pang suspended her three-month sentence for 18 months.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a territory-wide anti-illegal worker operation codenamed “Twilight” from May 27 to 30 and arrested 15 illegal workers and their seven suspected employers.

During the operation, ImmD Task Force officers raided 26 target locations including commercial buildings, a constructional site, industrial buildings, a massage parlour, offices, restaurants, a shopping mall, warehouses and a wet market.

The illegal workers included eight men and seven women, aged 23 to 58. Four of the men and one of the women were suspected of using and being in possession of forged Hong Kong identity cards. On the other hand, three men and four women, aged 30 to 65, were also arrested after they were suspected of employing the illegal workers.

“Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration,” an ImmD spokesperson said.

Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties,” he added.