The Nadi Magistrates Court has issued a suspended sentence to Justin Ho. Last month, Ho admitted guilt to charges involving submitting false or misleading documents. According to court documents, he provided two Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) belonging to other individuals to a Senior Customs Officer in an attempt to facilitate the release of a shipment, fully aware that the information was false.
The Court originally imposed an 18-month prison term; however, taking into account mitigating factors and Ho’s voluntary guilty plea, this was reduced to nine months, with the entire sentence suspended for three years. The Court noted that since Ho is a first-time offender and no financial loss occurred to the government entity involved, there was no need for a custodial sentence to deter future offenses.