Singapore Charges 10 in False CPF and Salary Declaration Cases
Singapore charged 10 people in two cases involving alleged false declarations for work passes and salaries. Eight people allegedly used CPF contributions for…
SINGAPORE — False CPF and salary declarations can help employers secure work passes unlawfully, and Singapore has charged 10 people in two separate cases involving the alleged practice. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said the cases concern “phantom workers” and false salary declarations under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).
The charges carry consequences for employers and people who lend their personal details to support fraudulent CPF contributions. Those convicted may face fines or jail, and MOM may bar them from employing foreign workers.
In a statement issued on Oct 16, MOM said seven employers and an administrative assistant, aged between 31 and 61, were charged on Oct 8. They allegedly declared CPF contributions for local employees who did not work for their companies, using the false declarations to obtain work passes.
Eight people face charges in that case. Each was charged under EFMA with making false declarations in work pass applications.
One director, Hou Ruisheng, 43, was also charged with allegedly obstructing an employment inspector. MOM said he directed a person to sign backdated and falsified employment documents that gave false information about the person’s employment status.
CPF declarations and foreign worker quotas
The alleged scheme involved CPF contributions attributed to people who were not employed by the companies. MOM said three phantom workers will also face administrative financial penalties for fraudulently receiving contributions despite not working for those firms. Their participation allegedly helped the companies inflate their foreign worker quota.
That matters because the declarations were allegedly used to support work pass applications. MOM warned members of the public not to accept CPF contributions from employers they do not work for, saying such conduct may amount to abetting false declaration offences or the prescribed infringement of inflating a foreign worker quota.
The eight charged in the first case are Hou, a director of Harvest Ecotech; Cao Yongliu, a director of Blue Sky Builder; Wei Yan, a director of Anchang; Wang Jianheng, a director of Advanced Coretrades; Lin Jian, sole proprietor of Wang Da Construction; Zhao Ying, a director of Urban Builders; Chen Pengfeng, a director of He Jian Construction; and Yvonne Teo Peck Ling, an administrative assistant at He Jian.
Names and roles were provided by MOM. The allegations have not been described as convictions in the ministry’s statement.
Separate case over declared salaries
The other two people charged operated an Ayurvedic centre. MOM said they were found guilty of paying two Employment Pass holders between $800 and $2,300 a month, while declaring monthly salaries of $5,100 and $7,350 respectively. They will be sentenced at a later date.
The discrepancy highlights the direct stakes for workers and employers: salary information submitted with a work pass application can differ sharply from what a worker is actually paid, according to the case details released by MOM.
A person convicted of making false declarations in work pass applications can be fined up to $20,000, jailed for up to two years, or both. The same maximum penalties apply to a person found guilty of obstructing an investigation. People who provide personal particulars to facilitate fraudulent CPF contributions may also be prosecuted and face those penalties.
“Unlawful practices include making fraudulent CPF contributions to phantom workers to inflate foreign worker quotas and submitting false declarations of salaries or employment information in work pass applications,” MOM said in its press statement.
The ministry said it has stepped up investigations into suspected cases and will take firm enforcement action against errant parties. The two Ayurvedic centre operators will be sentenced at a later date.
Source: straitstimes.com
