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Two Singaporeans, employment agency charged over false work pass declarations and kickbacks
The applications declared that the workers would be employed as food processing workers when they were deployed to places such as massage parlours, said the Manpower Ministry.
A view of the State Courts building in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
SINGAPORE: Two Singaporeans and an employment agency were charged in court on Thursday (May 28) for allegedly making false declarations in work pass applications and collecting kickbacks from a migrant worker.
The accused are Zhao Yanxiao, 43, who worked at an employment agency; Hu Yuping, 58, a manager of a massage establishment; and the agency itself, Wonderful Agency.
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), its investigations revealed that between December 2024 and August 2025, Zhao allegedly made false declarations in 14 work pass applications submitted under the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List scheme.
The applications declared that the workers would be employed as food processing workers earning monthly salaries of S$2,000 (US$1,560).
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"In reality, these workers were deployed to massage parlours, beauty salons and spa establishments to perform non-food processing work, and were not paid the declared salaries," MOM said in a media release.
Hu, meanwhile, is accused of abetting Wonderful in falsely declaring that a migrant worker would be employed as a food processing worker when the worker was in fact deployed as a masseuse.
She also faces a charge for allegedly obtaining a S$500 kickback from the worker as a condition for employment.
The Non-Traditional Source Occupation List scheme allows eligible employers in the services and manufacturing sectors to hire work permit holders from non-traditional source countries for certain roles.
Zhao faces 12 charges for false declarations of employment and two charges for false declarations of salary.
Wonderful Agency was charged with 12 counts of making false declarations of employment and two counts of making false declarations of salary in work pass applications.
Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, making false declarations in relation to work pass applications carries a penalty of up to S$20,000 in fines, up to two years’ imprisonment, or both. Convicted individuals and entities may also be barred from employing foreign workers.
The offence of collecting kickbacks carries a fine of up to S$30,000, a jail term of up to two years, or both.
"All employment agencies and employers are required to make accurate, complete and truthful declarations to the Controller of Work Passes in their work pass applications," MOM said.
"Making false declarations is a serious offence as it undermines the integrity of MOM’s work pass framework and may expose vulnerable workers to exploitation."
Man jailed for setting up shell companies to obtain work passes for foreigners in exchange for money
