Owner faces allegations of illegal labour importation, illegal employment, false declaration of employment
A cleaning company owner is facing 23 charges for various foreign employment breaches, including alleged unlawful labour importation.
Qin Xiaoxi, 31, is facing 20 charges of illegal labour importation under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), according to the Ministry of Manpower.
He is also facing two charges of illegal employment and one false declaration of employment of foreign workers, also under EFMA.
The charges come after Qin, director of Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture, allegedly obtaining work passes for 20 foreigners to work for the two companies in exchange for monetary payment between May and September 2022.
"The two companies were in fact non-operational, did not require the employment of foreigners, and failed to employ them after their arrival in Singapore," MOM said in a media release.
Meanwhile, Qin also allegedly recruited two foreigners without valid work passes to work for Xpress Cleaning & Service, a company where he was the sole proprietor, between June and December 2022.
Both foreigners obtained work passes under Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture because Xpress Cleaning & Service did not meet the quota to hire more foreign staff.
According to MOM, Qin also allegedly made a false declaration that one other foreigner would be employed by Xpress Manufacture despite not having any intentions of hiring her.
"Investigations against the foreigners involved in the alleged offences are ongoing," MOM said.
Singapore's EFMA outlines the responsibilities and obligations of employers when hiring foreign employees for their businesses.
Those who are convicted of obtaining work passes for foreign employees for a non-operational business, one that does not require a foreign employee, or [who] fail to [employ] the foreign employee may receive up to two years of prison sentence and up to $6,000 worth of fines per charge.
Foreigners who are also working in Singapore without a valid pass may also be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000 and/or imprisonment for up to two years.
Convicted foreigners will also be banned from working in Singapore, according to MOM.
