A male conspired with two others to offer work permits to 18 immigrants who wanted to stay in Singapore but had no intention of working during the COVID-19 crisis.
Sim Kian Boon Terence, 36, admitted guilt on Tuesday ( May 13 ) to six counts counted in violation of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with the sentencing of 12 more similar counts being pending.  ,
He received two years in prison, two wood strokes, and a S$ 32, 000 ( US$ 25, 000 ) fine. He did spend two months in prison instead of paying the charges, according to his attorney, who claimed he was unable to pay.
The scheme involved setting up shell businesses and using the firms ‘ foreign worker limits for immigrants who wanted to live in Singapore without really working.
Because the shell companies were certainly operating, they did not need any foreigners to apply for work permits.
In 2021, Sim, Leong Kwai Tong, and Tan Tai Ji were the ones who carried out the system.
Leong’s job was to manage administrative matters, such as submitting work pass applications and creating documents to support the ruse, while Tan’s was looking for serious foreigners.
In the second quarter of 2019, Leong hired Sim to serve as a director in the name of the barrel companies. For his part, Sim was paid a total of S$ 18, 000, or S$ 1, 800 a quarter for 10 times.
Leong was use his Singpass one-time password, which Sim provided, for the shell businesses and work go programs. Sim also provided his Singpass login details and configuration.
In this way, he aided by plotting to extort work permits from 18 foreigners working for four tank firms: Cosa Engineering, JT Metal Engineer, Productivity System Engineering, and Productivity System Creation.
The immigrants were permitted to enter and reside in Singapore when the Ministry of Manpower ( MOM) approved the work go programs.
They were left to their own devices for the duration of the job, and Sim was unaware of where they were since he had never actually employed them.
Additionally, Sim allowed Leong to sign fraudulent employment contracts and salary documents, including those that Sim provided for the work pass applications.
The scheme even involved WeChat groups Sim joined to interact with foreigners, and Leong and Tan held meetings to introduce them to the office environment and the kind of business they were supposed to run.
The primary purpose of these was to inform Sim and the immigrants of how to react if MOM launched studies.
Fake documents, such as posters about what the businesses claimed to sell, were also given to them to sustain the lies.
MOM launched an investigation in November 2021 after finding data about potential legal violations.
The harm to society was great as they occurred during a period of heightened border security procedures, according to MOM attorney Jasmine Koh, who highlighted that these were syndicated crimes.
Riko Isaac, a defense attorney, claimed Sim participated in the hoax out of financial cynicism during the pandemic and gave in to the lure of “fast or simple money.”
He claimed that his customer had reacted to the investigation and had worked with MOM.
It is illegal to obtain a work permit for a foreign employee for a company that does not occur, is not in activity, does not demand the unusual employee’s employment, or fails to do so.
A sentence in prison lasting between six and two centuries and a fine of up to S$ 6, 000 are the consequences of this offense.
Sim was likewise guilty for punishment because he had already been found guilty of at least six of these crimes.