Latest news with #EmploymentofForeignManpowerAct
AsiaOne
9 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes were conservancy workers at AMK Town Council, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — Eighteen migrant workers who paid kickbacks of $900 to $7,000 as a condition for renewing their work passes in December 2020 were working for Ang Mo Kio Town Council. Loo Kim Huat, 68, the director and group head of conservancy at WIS Holdings, which manages Weishen Industrial Services, was on July 24 fined $90,000 and ordered to pay a penalty of $42,000 by a district court for his role in the scheme, which resulted in the collection of $112,400 in kickbacks from the workers. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told The Straits Times on July 29 that the 18 workers involved in the case were conservancy workers for Ang Mo Kio Town Council. In response to queries, a spokesperson for Ang Mo Kio Town Council said it was not aware of the employment arrangement involving the workers in 2020 until MOM issued a public statement on the case after Loo's sentencing. Weishen Industrial Services is a term contractor engaged in one of the town council's seven divisions, the spokesperson added. Said the spokesperson: "We take MOM's findings seriously and are currently reviewing Weishen Industrial Services' contract performance and compliance. "At present, Weishen Industrial Services continues to provide estate cleaning and maintenance services for some areas managed by Ang Mo Kio Town Council." The spokesperson said the town council does not tolerate any form of worker exploitation and that while town councils do not directly employ conservancy workers, it will remind its conservancy companies to be vigilant and to reinforce safeguards. "We have also advised conservancy workers personally that they may approach Ang Mo Kio Town Council managers or officers directly if they experience any mistreatment, and we will escalate such matters to the relevant authorities," the spokesperson added. MOM said in a press statement after the sentencing that nine of the affected workers have returned home, while the other nine are working in Singapore, with three employed by Weishen. This incident comes after a similar case in 2024 when a conservancy company's manager, who oversaw estate cleaners in Nee Soon East and Pasir Ris-Punggol, was sentenced to 24 weeks' jail in one of the largest cases of kickbacks investigated by MOM. Derrick Ho, who was sentenced in November 2024, had collected $396,440 from 57 Bangladeshi workers from 2014 to 2020 for the renewal of their work permits. Following this incident, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who anchors Nee Soon GRC, said it was the group representation constituency's MPs who sought an investigation into the kickbacks once they learnt about the case from a whistle-blower. In the case involving the Ang Mo Kio Town Council workers, MOM employment inspectors carried out investigations into Weishen on Dec 8, 2020, after receiving information on possible contravention of the law under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, court documents said. The scheme in the latest case had been ongoing for four to five years before December 2020and had originated from an employment agent called Kamaruzzaman, who was based in Bangladesh and was responsible for bringing in Bangladeshi nationals to work in Singapore at Weishen. Loo's other co-conspirators were Lim Choong Seng, a former site manager at Weishen, and conservancy workers Kabir Mohammad Humayun and Robel, who goes by one name. Kamaruzzaman instructed Lim, Kabir, Robel and Kamaruzzaman's relatives in Singapore to collect employment kickbacks from foreign employees whose work permits were applied for under Weishen. After the employment kickbacks were collected by Kabir and Robel, they would be handed to Lim, and then to Loo. Loo, who was Lim's direct superior, would pay Lim $300 for every kickback collected from each foreign employee. Loo and Lim would decide which foreign workers' work passes to renew, providing positive feedback to Weishen's human resources department for only the foreign employees who had paid the kickbacks. MOM said Lim was convicted in August 2024 and fined $84,000, while Kabir's case is pending before the court. According to court documents, Robel remains at large. An MOM prosecutor told the court on July 24 that Kamaruzzaman remained outside of Singapore's jurisdiction the last time the ministry checked. Loo, who has paid a total of $83,050 as restitution to the affected migrant workers, pleaded guilty to six charges of receiving money from a foreign employee as a condition for the worker's continued employment, which is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Another 12 similar charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing. Those who are found to have collected kickbacks can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $30,000, or both. [[nid:720758]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
Singapore Law Watch
5 days ago
- Business
- Singapore Law Watch
Fine for company director who played role in collecting $112k in kickbacks from migrant workers
Fine for company director who played role in collecting $112k in kickbacks from migrant workers Source: Straits Times Article Date: 25 Jul 2025 Author: Samuel Devaraj A company director has been fined after he admitted to playing a role in collecting $112,400 in kickbacks from migrant workers as a condition for renewing their work passes in December 2020. A company director has been fined after he admitted to playing a role in collecting $112,400 in kickbacks from migrant workers as a condition for renewing their work passes in December 2020. On July 24, Loo Kim Huat was fined $90,000 and also ordered to pay a penalty of $42,000, after he pleaded guilty to six charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Another 12 similar charges were taken into consideration during sentencing. According to a press release from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Loo, 68, was the director and group head of conservancy at WIS Holdings, which manages Weishen Industrial Services, a company providing estate cleaning and maintenance services for town councils. He had conspired with four others in the collection of kickbacks from 18 employees of Weishen as a condition for renewing their work passes. The illicit payments ranged from $900 to $7,000 for each worker. His four co-conspirators were Lim Choong Seng, a former site manager at Weishen; conservancy workers Kabir Mohammad Humayun and Robel; and Kamaruzzaman, an employment agent based in Bangladesh. According to court documents, the 18 foreign employees were primarily conservancy workers deployed to perform estate cleaning and maintenance services for town councils. The scheme which had been ongoing for four to five years before December 2020 originated from Kamaruzzaman, who was responsible for bringing in Bangladeshi nationals to work in Singapore at Weishen. Kamaruzzaman instructed Lim, Kabir, Robel and Kamaruzzaman's relatives in Singapore to collect the employment kickbacks from foreign employees whose work permits were applied for under Weishen. After the employment kickback monies were collected by Kabir and Robel, they would be handed to Lim, and then to Loo. Loo, who was Lim's direct superior, would pay Lim $300 for every kickback collected from each foreign employee. Loo and Lim would decide which foreign workers' work passes to renew, providing positive feedback to Weishen's human resources department for only the foreign employees who had paid the kickbacks. After receiving information on possible contravention of the laws under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, MOM employment inspectors carried out investigations into Weishen on Dec 8, 2020. MOM said Lim was convicted in August 2024 and fined $84,000 while Kabir's case is still pending before the court. According to court documents, Robel remains at large. An MOM prosecutor told the court on July 24 that Kamaruzzaman, who operated from Bangladesh, remained outside of Singapore's jurisdiction the last time the ministry checked. Loo has paid a total of $83,050 as restitution to the affected migrant workers. Nine of the workers have returned home; the other nine are working in Singapore, with three employed at Weishen, MOM said. Those who are found to have collected kickbacks can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $30,000, or both. Migrant workers who suspect that they are being asked to give kickbacks can seek help by calling MOM at 6438-5122, or the Migrant Workers' Centre at 6536-2692. MOM said members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities, or know of people or employers who contravene the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, should report the matter to the ministry on its website. All information will be kept strictly confidential, it said. An anonymous complaint led to 24 weeks' jail for a former operations manager of a conservancy company, who oversaw estate cleaners in Nee Soon East and Pasir Ris-Punggol. Derrick Ho had collected $396,440 from 57 Bangladeshi workers from 2014 to 2020 for the renewal of their work permits, in one of the largest cases of kickbacks that MOM has investigated to date. He was sentenced in November 2024. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction. Print
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Company director fined for collecting $112k in kickbacks from migrant workers, Singapore News
A company director has been convicted for his involvement in a scheme that collected a total of $112,400 in kickbacks from migrant workers in December 2020. Loo Kim Huat, a 68-year-old Singaporean, was fined $90,000 and a penalty order of $42,000 on Thursday (July 24) after pleading guilty to six charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA). Twelve other charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a press release. The ministry said Loo was the director and group head for conservancy at WIS Holdings, which manages Weishen Industrial Services — a company that provides estate cleaning and maintenance services for town councils. He had conspired with four individuals, which included Lim Choong Seng, a former site manager at Weishen, two conservancy workers, Kabir Mohammad Humayun and Robel, and Kamaruzzaman, an employment agent based in Bangladesh. In 2020, Loo and the four individuals collected amounts ranging from $900 to $7,000 from 18 workers of Weishen as a condition for renewing their work passes. Loo and Lim would provide positive feedback to Weishen's human resources department for only the foreign employees who had paid the kickbacks and help get their work passes renewed, reported The Straits Times. MOM said that Loo has paid a total of $83,050 as restitution to the affected migrant workers. Of the 18 workers who were affected, nine have returned home, while the remaining nine are working in Singapore, with three employed at Weishen. Lim was convicted in August 2024 and was sentenced to a fine of $84,000 while Kabir's case is still pending before the court, said MOM. "Collecting employment kickbacks from migrant workers is a serious offence, and the Ministry of Manpower will not hesitate to take enforcement action against such unlawful acts," the ministry said. Those convicted will face a fine of up to $30,000, a jail term of up to two years, or both. Migrant workers who suspect that they are being asked to give kickbacks can seek help by calling MOM at 6438 5122 or the Migrant Workers' Centre at 6536 2692. The ministry also urged members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities, or who know of persons who contravene the EFMA, to report the matter via MOM's website. All information will be kept strictly confidential, it said. [[nid:720463]]
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Fine for company director who played role in collecting $112k in kickbacks from migrant workers
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Loo Kim Huat has paid a total of $83,050 as restitution to the affected migrant workers. SINGAPORE - A company director has been fined after he admitted to playing a role in collecting $112,400 in kickbacks from migrant workers as a condition for renewing their work passes in December 2020. On July 24, Loo Kim Huat was sentenced to a fine of $90,000 and also ordered to pay a penalty order of $42,000, after he pleaded guilty to six charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Another 12 similar charges were taken into consideration sentencing. According to a press release from the Ministry of Manpower, Loo, 68, was the director and group head of conservancy at WIS Holdings, which manages Weishen Industrial Services, a company providing estate cleaning and maintenance services for town councils. He had conspired with four others in the collection of kickbacks from 18 employees of Weishen as a condition for the renewal of their work passes. The illicit payments ranged from $900 to $7,000 for each worker. His four co-conspirators were: Lim Choong Seng, a former site manager at Weishen; conservancy workers Kabir Mohammad Humayun and Robel; and Kamaruzzaman, an employment agent based in Bangladesh. According to court documents, the 18 foreign employees were primarily conservancy workers deployed to perform estate cleaning and maintenance services for town councils. The scheme which had been ongoing four to five years before December 2020 originated from Kamaruzzaman, who was responsible for bringing in Bangladeshi nationals to work in Singapore at Weishen. Kamaruzzaman instructed Lim, Kabir, Robel and Kamaruzzaman's relatives in Singapore to collect the employment kickbacks from foreign employees whose work permits were applied under Weishen. After the employment kickback monies were collected from Kabir and Robel, they would be handed to Lim, and then to Loo. Loo, who was Lim's direct superior, would pay Lim $300 for every employment kickback amount collected from each foreign employee. Loo and Lim would decide which foreign workers' work passes to renew, providing positive feedback to Weishen's HR department for only the foreign employees who had paid the kickbacks. After receiving information on possible contravention of the laws under Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, MOM employment inspectors carried out investigations into Weishen on Dec 8, 2020. MOM said Lim was convicted in August 2024 and was sentenced to a fine of $84,000 while Kabir's case is still pending before the court. According to court documents, Robel remains at large. An MOM prosecutor told the court on July 24 that Kamaruzzaman, who operated from Bangladesh, remained outside of Singapore's jurisdiction the last time the ministry checked. Loo has paid a total of $83,050 as restitution to the affected migrant workers. Nine of the workers have returned home; the other nine are working in Singapore, with three employed at Weishen, MOM said. Those who are found to have collected kickbacks can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $30,000, or both. Migrant workers who suspect that they are being asked to give kickbacks can seek help by calling MOM at 6438-5122, or the Migrant Workers' Centre at 6536-2692. MOM said members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities, or know of persons or employers who contravene the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, should report the matter to the ministry on its website . All information will be kept strictly confidential, it said. An anonymous complaint led to 24 weeks' jail for a former operations manager of a conservancy company, who oversaw estate cleaners in Nee Soon East and Pasir Ris-Punggol. Derrick Ho had collected $396,440 from 57 Bangladeshi workers from 2014 to 2020 for the renewal of their work permits, in one of the largest cases of kickbacks that MOM has investigated to date. He was sentenced in November 2024.
New Paper
18-07-2025
- New Paper
Two women jailed for using forged university certificates in work pass applications
Hoping to get employment passes so they could work in Singapore, two foreign women submitted false university certificates to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). After they secured the passes, their ruse went undetected for 15 months as they continued working for CL Enterprise, a firm which operates multiple Mr Fix retail outlets carrying items such as kitchenware and appliances. On July 17, Torres Alyssa Riva Fernan and Conol Almira Joy Torres, both 29-year-old Filipinas, were jailed for four and six weeks respectively. Fernan pleaded guilty to one charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Torres admitted to one similar charge, with two other charges taken into consideration for sentencing. Asking the judge to impose a strong sentence, MOM prosecuting officer Teo Sijing said others were deprived of the jobs the two women had secured by deceiving the authorities. Some time in September 2020, Torres contacted an unidentified Philippine agent known as "Cory" to look for a new job after her previous employment at another Singapore firm ended. Cory informed Torres about a job as assistant sales manager with a monthly salary of $2,200. Torres was keen and went for the interview. After the interview, CL Enterprise submitted an application for an employment pass for Torres to work as its assistant sales manager. As part of the application process, Torres submitted a forged certificate indicating she had a bachelor's degree in science from Ateneo De Manila University, and signed a declaration form affirming it was true. She also stated that her monthly salary would be $5,800, although she knew this was false. She did so on Cory's instructions as she believed it was necessary for her employment pass application to succeed. Meanwhile, Fernan heard about Cory through a relative while she was still in the Philippines looking for a job. Cory required Fernan to pay her $4,500 before processing her job application. Fernan took a loan to pay Cory. Fernan then interviewed for the position of assistant operations manager at CL Enterprise and was hired. In her employment pass application, she similarly submitted a forged bachelor's degree in science certificate from De La Salle University in Manila, and signed a declaration form affirming that she had this qualification. Both Torres and Fernan worked at the company from November 2020 to February 2022. Their offences were discovered when MOM conducted a random inspection of CL Enterprise. Court documents did not give more details about the inspection. MOM's Mr Teo said educational qualifications and salaries are important considerations when determining whether to grant an employment pass application. Had the authorities known that the details submitted by the women were untrue, the pair would not have been granted the passes, said the prosecutor. "The sentence sought would impose a strong deterrent message to offenders who seek to exploit the work pass system by making false statements and creating backdoors to facilitate illegal employment," said Mr Teo.
