Jail and fine for marriage offence

[Zhang He]

Dec 3, 2010

COURTS & CRIME

Jail and fine for marriage offences

By Elena Chong

A MARRIED man, pressed by his girlfriend's father to set a wedding date, asked a former colleague to 'solemnise'' his marriage at a private club.

Raymond Wee Kian Seng had admitted to abetting Ainagoundan Kattan, 52, to commit an offence of unauthorised solemnisation of a marriage between himself and Ms Tham Wei Fen at The Pines in December 2008.

He had also pleaded guilty to going through the ceremony when he was lawfully married to one Frances Pang Yoke Khoon, and falsely making a marriage certificate on or before December 2008.

A fourth charge of holding the customary marriage celebration at Orchard Hotel in June last year was taken into consideration. He was jailed one month and fined $8,000 on Friday for the three offences under the Women's Charter.

He could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $15,000 on the most serious charge of abetting his friend to solemnise his sham marriage.

Ainagoundan has since been charged and his case is at pre-trial stage.

 

[Kanetsugu Naoe]

Jailed for sham marriage


Dec 4, 2010

FAKED CEREMONY AND CERTIFICATE
Jailed for sham marriage

He faked ceremony and certificate to 'marry' ex-girlfriend

By Elena Chong, Court Correspondent

Wee was sentenced to one month in jail and fined $8,000.

RAYMOND Wee Kian Seng did not hesitate when his girlfriend's father wanted them to settle down after a two-year courtship. He had got back with his former girlfriend after many years of separation. She broke off with him at 18 years of age to concentrate on her studies.

But Wee had a problem: He was already married to Ms Frances Pang Yoke Khoon at the time, in 2008. And she had twice refused him a divorce. But he did not let that stop him. He faked a marriage certificate and arranged for a colleague to 'solemnise' the sham marriage ceremony.

Yesterday, District Judge Toh Yung Cheong jailed Wee, 37, for a month and fined him $8,000 after he admitted to falsifying a marriage certificate, abetting in the sham marriage and going through with it with Ms Tham Wai Fen, now 30.

Both Wee's wife, who is 34, and Ms Tham had forgiven him and tendered letters of appeal to the court, pleading that he be given a lenient sentence.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
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