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http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_344124.html
'Phantom worker' scam
Allegation: Lying so they could hire more workers from abroad
By Elena Chong & Carolyn Quek
TEN employers who supposedly had locals on their payrolls, hired about 1,000 foreign workers in their place.
Yesterday, the 10 were hauled to court for lying about the number of local workers they employed so they could secretly inflate their quota of foreign workers.
This is the largest number of employers the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has prosecuted at one go for using 'phantom' workers.
Under the law, businesses are required to hire a certain number of Singaporeans or permanent residents before they can employ foreigners.
Some employers cheat by getting their hands on the details of unemployed locals, mostly retirees, and pretending to be hiring them, to make up the numbers. Then they hire foreigners instead.
The issue surfaced recently in Parliament when MP for Nee Soon Central Ong Ah Heng drew attention to the existence of such 'phantom' workers.
He said some employers felt that the proposed Jobs Credit scheme, which would subsidise salaries of citizens and permanent residents, would unfairly benefit operators hiring foreigners in the guise of local workers.
A MOM spokesman said a total of 50 companies are under investigation, including the 21 the 10 were involved in. They face 387 charges.
Facing the most number of charges were two men in the SME Group of companies, which provides cleaning services.
Lim Chye Cheng, 52, and Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60, a director of the SME Group, are accused of conspiring with Mr Tay Hian Chye, 47, to furnish false information on 101 occasions in work permit applications for some 600 foreign workers. Mr Tay has not been charged.
The alleged offences took place between June and December last year.
Read the full story in today's edition of The Straits Times.
The 10 accused
Lim Chye Cheng, 52
Designation: Unknown
Company name: SME Group
Type of company: Cleaning services
Number of charges: 101
Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60,
director of cleaning services firm, SME Group of companies
Number of charges: 101
Teong Tye Soon,
39, director of marine repair firm Voyager Control Services
Number of charges: 39
Toh Eng Hock @Toh Ah Hock,
69, director of construction firm Toh Eng Hock Construction
Number of charges: 28
Jamali Bakran,
49, director of ship inspection firm Weldtech Inspection Services
Number of charges: 20
Woon Siew Chor @ Mun Siew Chor,
69, sole proprietor of manufacturing firm Weng Sang Brothers
Number of charges: 35
Tan Cheng Cheng,
34, director of port and logistics services company TNS Logistics
Number of charges: 25
Chew Beng Huat,
54, manager of port and logistics services company TNS Logistics
Number of charges: 15
Lim Chek Chee,
47, sole proprietor of food and beverage company Lim Kopi Holdings
Number of charges: 13
Sulaiman Abdullah
@ Tommy Goh Beng Hock, 69, sole proprietor of food and beverage company Restu Muslim Seafood Restaurant
Number of charges: 10
'Phantom worker' scam
Allegation: Lying so they could hire more workers from abroad
By Elena Chong & Carolyn Quek
TEN employers who supposedly had locals on their payrolls, hired about 1,000 foreign workers in their place.
Yesterday, the 10 were hauled to court for lying about the number of local workers they employed so they could secretly inflate their quota of foreign workers.
This is the largest number of employers the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has prosecuted at one go for using 'phantom' workers.
Under the law, businesses are required to hire a certain number of Singaporeans or permanent residents before they can employ foreigners.
Some employers cheat by getting their hands on the details of unemployed locals, mostly retirees, and pretending to be hiring them, to make up the numbers. Then they hire foreigners instead.
The issue surfaced recently in Parliament when MP for Nee Soon Central Ong Ah Heng drew attention to the existence of such 'phantom' workers.
He said some employers felt that the proposed Jobs Credit scheme, which would subsidise salaries of citizens and permanent residents, would unfairly benefit operators hiring foreigners in the guise of local workers.
A MOM spokesman said a total of 50 companies are under investigation, including the 21 the 10 were involved in. They face 387 charges.
Facing the most number of charges were two men in the SME Group of companies, which provides cleaning services.
Lim Chye Cheng, 52, and Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60, a director of the SME Group, are accused of conspiring with Mr Tay Hian Chye, 47, to furnish false information on 101 occasions in work permit applications for some 600 foreign workers. Mr Tay has not been charged.
The alleged offences took place between June and December last year.
Read the full story in today's edition of The Straits Times.
The 10 accused
Lim Chye Cheng, 52
Designation: Unknown
Company name: SME Group
Type of company: Cleaning services
Number of charges: 101
Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60,
director of cleaning services firm, SME Group of companies
Number of charges: 101
Teong Tye Soon,
39, director of marine repair firm Voyager Control Services
Number of charges: 39
Toh Eng Hock @Toh Ah Hock,
69, director of construction firm Toh Eng Hock Construction
Number of charges: 28
Jamali Bakran,
49, director of ship inspection firm Weldtech Inspection Services
Number of charges: 20
Woon Siew Chor @ Mun Siew Chor,
69, sole proprietor of manufacturing firm Weng Sang Brothers
Number of charges: 35
Tan Cheng Cheng,
34, director of port and logistics services company TNS Logistics
Number of charges: 25
Chew Beng Huat,
54, manager of port and logistics services company TNS Logistics
Number of charges: 15
Lim Chek Chee,
47, sole proprietor of food and beverage company Lim Kopi Holdings
Number of charges: 13
Sulaiman Abdullah
@ Tommy Goh Beng Hock, 69, sole proprietor of food and beverage company Restu Muslim Seafood Restaurant
Number of charges: 10
