A Singaporean employment agent has been sentenced to 23 weeks in jail for her role in a scheme that illegally provided work permits to foreign women who were then employed in jobs other than domestic work, prosecutors announced Monday.
Josephine Santos Ho, 61, the key appointment holder at Expert Business Management & Consultancy, pleaded guilty to eight charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with another eight charges considered during sentencing. She was also ordered to pay a penalty of S$3,000, representing her proceeds from the illicit operation.
The court heard that Ho collaborated with Jennifer Choo Joo Kheng, also 61, to facilitate the scheme beginning in 2018. They assisted foreigners in obtaining domestic worker work permits, despite the individuals not intending to work as maids or reside with their declared employers. Instead, these women secured part-time employment as waitresses and cleaners.
The arrangement involved a financial transaction, with the foreigners paying a fee – ranging from S$5,000 (approximately US$3,950) to S$11,600 – which was then divided between Ho, Choo, and local individuals who agreed to have their identification used for the work permit applications. Choo was responsible for finding these local accomplices, and they provided their NRIC and Singpass passwords to facilitate the applications.
In one instance, Josill Maratas David paid S$7,500 to participate in the scheme in January 2021. She was matched with a local man who agreed to be listed as her employer. Ho retained S$1,000 of the payment, and David subsequently worked for approximately 11 months as a part-time waitress and cleaner while paying her own monthly foreign worker levy before her work permit was cancelled.
Two other women, Divina Xeres Cabuay Onzana and Perez Lovella Reybuenan, also participated in the scheme, paying S$5,000 and S$11,600 respectively. The larger sum paid by Perez included costs associated with COVID-19 quarantine. Both women also paid their own monthly foreign worker levies. Onzana worked under the permit for a year and five months, and later obtained another permit through the same illegal means before it was cancelled. Perez worked for approximately four months before her permit was revoked.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) launched an investigation in August 2022 after receiving information regarding potential violations of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, leading to Ho’s arrest. The prosecutor argued that Ho’s actions fundamentally compromised the integrity of Singapore’s work pass framework by effectively selling work permits.
The prosecutor requested a sentence of 28 to 32 weeks’ imprisonment, along with the S$3,000 penalty, emphasizing Ho’s motive of financial gain and her awareness of the scheme’s illegality given her position within an employment agency. Josill, Divina, and Perez were previously sentenced to six, ten, and three weeks’ jail, respectively, for their involvement. Choo is scheduled to enter a guilty plea later this week.
