Company director first to face caning for illegal importation of labour

SINGAPORE – A 33-year-old company director has become the first man to be sentenced to caning for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Goh Eng Kiat was sentenced to 45 months’ jail and five strokes of the cane on Friday (Nov 3) for fraudulently obtaining work passes for 30 foreign workers under the guise that the workers would be working for his company, Jasper Contractors.

Goh will serve an additional five months in jail as he was unable to pay a S$75,000 penalty for the proceeds of his crimes. He has been permanently barred from employing foreign workers, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a media statement.

Goh had falsely declared to the MOM that the foreign workers would be employed by his company as construction workers. He managed to fraudulently obtain work passes for 117 foreign workers between Nov 2013 and March 2014.

The workers were subsequently released to find their own employment and he received S$292,500 from them – the largest amount received by an offender involving illegal importation of labour so far.

Goh was charged with a total of 117 charges for illegal importation of labour between November 2013 and March 2014.

The prosecution proceeded with 30 charges and the remaining 87 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. Goh is also facing another charge under the Bankruptcy Act.

Mr Kandhavel Periyasamy, director of the employment inspectorate at MOM’s Foreign Manpower Management Division, said: “This is the first illegal labour importation case that the court has imposed a caning sentence. We want to remind individuals that illegal labour importation is a serious offence, and we will take strong enforcement action against individuals who commit this offence.”

In the last two years, 13 people have been convicted for illegal importation of labour.

In September, 51-year old S Vijaya Raj was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment for six charges of illegal labour importation.

In another case, Poh Kwi Ko, the director of Aik Heng Contracts and Services was charged with the illegal importation of labour and the collection of kickbacks. The 42-year-old had allegedly obtained work passes for 10 foreign workers, even though she knew there was no work for them.

The MOM warned that it is an offence to obtain work passes for foreign employees for a business that does not exist and failing to provide work for the employees.

Perpetrators face six months or more in jail and a fine of up to S$6,000 for each offence and if convicted for six or more charges, caning will be imposed.

The Ministry added that foreign workers who find themselves released without a job after obtaining a work pass should not work illegally by looking for employment on their own. They should immediately report the matter to MOM and seek help.