Google translate for mandarin illiterate people:
A local man received 20,000 yuan for a fake marriage to a Chinese woman in order to make quick money to pay off his debts. As a result, he was sentenced to seven months and eight weeks in prison.
The defendant, Zhao Peihao (35 years old, transliteration), faces three charges of violating the immigration law. He pleaded guilty to two of them on Thursday (November 27), and the rest were considered by the judge when sentencing them.
The case shows that in 2022, the defendant and Chinese woman Zhong Fangyuan (30 years old, transliteration) met locally through mutual friends. When they first met, Zhong Fangyuan said that she wanted to apply for Singapore permanent resident status by marrying a local. The defendant expressed his willingness to marry her on the condition that he would give him 80,000 yuan at one time, but the other party thought the asking price was too high and did not agree.
At the second meeting, the two sides reached an agreement. Zhong Fangyuan agreed to pay 2,000 yuan first after going through the formalities at the Marriage Registration Bureau, another 8,000 yuan on the day of the wedding, and then 10,000 yuan a year until she obtained a Singapore permanent residence permit.
The investigation showed that the defendant agreed to a fake marriage because of debt, which he believed was a way to obtain money quickly.
The two registered their marriage on November 30, 2023, and held a "wedding" in a restaurant box a few days later, exchanging rings and signing marriage certificates in front of witnesses. After the "wedding", after the defendant received 8,000 yuan, the two left separately and did not live together. In order to create an illusion in case the authorities made a surprise inspection of whether the two lived together, the defendant also placed some personal items in the woman's residence.
By the end of 2024, the defendant had received a total of 20,000 yuan from Zhong Fangyuan, including 2,000 yuan after the marriage registration process, 8,000 yuan on the wedding day, and 10,000 yuan paid at the end of the year. The two have never fulfilled their obligations in the relationship between husband and wife.
Zhong Fangyuan contacted the defendant in order to apply for a long-term visit permit, but neither of them knew how to start, so they asked someone to help fill out the form. In the application form, the defendant, acting as a local guarantor, reported that Zhong Fangyuan had not sent any money or benefits for the purpose of marriage, that she had not married for a long-term residence, and that she lived with her.
On July 9 this year, the Immigration and Checkpoint Bureau made a surprise inspection and found that the defendant and Zhong Fangyuan did not live together, suspected that the two had fake marriage behavior, and then arrested them at their residences respectively.
The prosecution urged the judge to sentence the defendant to six months and eight weeks in prison and a fine of 10,000 yuan. When the defendant pleaded, he said he knew his mistake but was unable to pay the fine.
Zhong Fangyuan is facing six charges of violating immigration laws. She intends to plead guilty, and the case is scheduled to go to court on January 7 next year.
