The Nadi Magistrates Court has issued a suspended sentence for Justin Ho. Last month, Ho admitted guilt to the modified charge of submitting false or misleading documents. According to the summary of facts, he presented two Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) for other individuals to a Senior Customs Officer in order to obtain the release of a consignment, fully aware that the information was false.
The court originally sentenced Ho to 18 months in prison, but taking into account mitigating factors and his voluntary guilty plea, the sentence was reduced to nine months, which is entirely suspended for three years. The court decided to suspend the sentence based on Ho being a first-time offender and noted that the government entity did not suffer any loss, which diminished the necessity for a custodial sentence as a deterrent.