Phoenix TV host gets suspended jail term for smuggling

June 16, 2015 17:51

Ma Bin (inset) carried 405 cigarettes in a toy box and walked through the green channel at customs. Photo: customs.gov.hk, internet

A television host with Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV has been given a suspended jail sentence and fined HK$5,500 (US$709) for cigarette smuggling.

Ma Bin, a former presenter with state broadcaster CCTV, admitted to two counts of smuggling-related offenses -- possession of dutiable commodities and failure to declare them to customs authorities.

Principal Magistrate Bernadette Woo Huey-fang scolded Ma, saying that as a representative of China, he should be careful about his words and behavior and should set a good example, before sentencing him to a month's imprisonment suspended for one year.

Ma, 42, was held by Hong Kong customs authorities on June 4 while trying to smuggle 405 cigarettes from mainland China.

The cigarettes were subject to a HK$772 tax, according to Apple Daily.

Ma hid them in a toy box and told customs officers he had no room for them in his luggage when the items were discovered, TVB News reported.

Ma's lawyer, Chan Ka-wing, had argued Ma merely forgot to pay the tax because he used the customs green channel, which is for people who have nothing to declare.

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