Gov’t charges man for illegally employing 33 foreigners

They were allegedly hired to be cleaners.

The Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has charged 64-year-old Ang Peck Leang for employing 33 foreigners without valid passes under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).

According to the ministry, Ang allegedly employed the foreigners from 2018 to 2021 to be part-time cleaners via a Viber group chat. Of the 33 foreigners, 27 were migrant domestic workers, five were on work permits for other companies, and one was on a Dependant’s Pass. 

No one had valid work passes to be employed as cleaners.

The EFMA states that anyone who employs a foreigner without a valid pass is liable on conviction to a fine of at least $5,000 and not more than $30,000, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both. Upon conviction, MoM may also bar the individual from employing foreign employees.

Meanwhile, foreigners working in Singapore without the necessary pass may be fined up to $20,000, or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding two years, or to both. Upon conviction, the government may also bar them from working in the city-state.