Company director fined S$21,000 for inflating salaries in work pass applications

SINGAPORE — A company director was fined S$21,000 by the State Courts on Thursday (July 7) for falsely declaring salaries to obtain work passes for 10 foreign employees.

Tan Boon Sing, 51, and his company, KT Engineering & Construction, have also been barred from hiring foreign workers, said a statement from the Ministry of Manpower on Friday.

Between October 2014 and May 2015, Tan declared the salaries for 10 foreign workers to be S$2,200 on their work pass applications, so they could qualify for an S Pass, even though he knew that they would be paid a lower amount.

The workers, who were granted S Passes based on the false information provided, were in fact paid a monthly salary of S$1,400.

The company would issue a monthly S$2,200 cheque to each worker. Tan would then instruct his former employee, Indian national Peyarijohn Shekatham, 44, to collect S$800 from each of the workers every month. The latter told the workers their work passes would be cancelled and they would be sent back to their home country if they did not comply.

Tan has since returned the money to all the workers.

For helping Tan collect kickbacks, Peyarijohn Shekatham will be dealt with separately, said the MOM.

Since 2014, 55 employers have been prosecuted for falsely declaring their foreign workers’ salaries. Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, offenders found guilty of making false declarations can be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to S$20,000. For kickback offences, offenders can be jailed up to two years and/or fined up to S$30,000.