Two Singaporean businessmen face a total of 442 charges over an employment sham which saw hundreds of foreign jobseekers defrauded.
Terry Tan-Soo I-Hse and Clarence Lim Jun Yao used three fake companies to collect fees from over 300 international jobseekers with the promise of finding them positions.
However, the two men had no intention of securing jobs for the unlucky applicants.
Both men were jointly charged by the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Manpower. They now face fraudulent trading charges and false declaration of offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Tan Soo, the director of employment agency Asia Recruit Pte Ltd – which is now known as Alliance Recruit Pte Ltd – also faces additional charges for breach of licensing conditions under the Employment Agencies Act.
Lim was the director of Asiajobmart Pte Ltd and UUBR International Pte Ltd, now known as Connectsia Pte Ltd.
According to investigators, the men submitted a total of 449 work pass applications to MOM. Of this, 445 were rejected.
MOM has imposed a ban on Lim, Asiajobmart and UUBR, from employing any new foreign workers and from renewing any work passes. Asia Recruit’s employment agency licence has also been suspended.
If convicted under the Companies Act, the accused may face imprisonment for up to seven years, or a fine of up to $15,000, or both, per charge.
If convicted under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the accused may face imprisonment for up to two years, or a fine of up to $20,000, or both, per charge.
If convicted under the Employment Agencies Act, the accused may face imprisonment of up to six months, or a fine of up to $5,000, or both, per charge. In addition, their EA licence will be revoked.
The MOM reminds job seekers that they should not pay fees to their EAs until they are successfully placed with an employer.
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