2 Singaporeans and an employment agency charged under Employment of Foreign Manpower Act
Two Singaporeans, Zhao Yanxiao and Hu Yuping, along with an employment agency, Wonderful Agency Pte Ltd, have been charged in court under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990 (EFMA).
They were accused of false salary declarations, misrepresentation of employment, and the collection of kickbacks, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said, in a statement on Thursday (28 May).
Agency employee submitted 14 false work pass applications
Investigations revealed that between December 2024 and August 2025, Zhao, an employment agency personnel at Wonderful, allegedly submitted 14 false work pass applications.
Source: Gwengoat on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
The 43-year-old reportedly declared workers under the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS-OL) scheme as food processing workers earning S$2,000 monthly.
In reality, employers deployed them to massage parlours, beauty salons, and spas performing non-food processing work.
Additionally, the employees were not paid the declared salaries.
Massage parlour manager obtained kickback from worker
Hu, a 58-year-old massage establishment manager, allegedly abetted Wonderful in falsely declaring the occupation of a migrant worker as a food processing worker.
The worker was, in fact, deployed to work as a masseuse.
Hu was also charged for allegedly obtaining a kickback worth S$500 from the worker as a condition for employment.
Imprisonment and fine for those committed such acts
Making a false declaration in a work pass application carries a fine of up to S$20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
Convicted entities or individuals may also face a ban on employing foreign workers.
The collection of kickbacks carries a fine of up to S$30,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
MOM encourages agencies and employers to adhere to truthful practices
MOM emphasised that all employment agencies and employers must submit accurate and truthful work pass applications.
It added: “Making false declarations is a serious offence as it undermines the integrity of MOM’s work pass framework and may expose vulnerable workers to exploitation.”
Also read: S’porean man in Batam charged for illegally exporting workers to S’pore
S’porean man in Batam charged for illegally exporting workers to S’pore
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Featured image adapted from Gwengoat on Canva, for illustration purposes only, and MS News.
