Courts | Man sentenced for providing accommodation to illegal migrant

The Court of Second Instance (TSI) has rejected an appeal filed by a man who provided accommodation to an illegal immigrant, according to a ruling released yesterday. He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence for providing accommodation to an illegal immigrant in a five-bedroom apartment where 13 other people were also living.
The case dates back to 2013 when a man with a gambling addiction arrived in Macau illegally after he had previously been banned from entering the territory. Not long after he managed to enter the region illegally, the man went to gamble at a local casino where he met his long time friend, who promised to find him a place to stay. The immigrant’s friend then took him to meet the defendant, who allegedly introduced him to a still unknown woman who then walked the illegal immigrant to the five-bedroom apartment where he eventually stayed.
A police raid launched by the Public Security Police Force (CPSP) found the illegal immigrant living in the flat, in addition to 13 more people spread across four bedrooms.
The defendant had filed an appeal to the TSI, claiming that he was not the one who actually provided the accommodation, and therefore he could only be accused of negligence.
However, the court found that the defendant had the means and ability to prevent the provision of accommodation to the illegal migrant. Furthermore, the court said that the defendant had shown no interest in knowing about or requesting the tenant’s documents. The court therefore denied the appeal. CP