Foreign worker fined S$30,000 for unlicensed employment agency activities

SINGAPORE — He came from Bangladesh to work as a project administrator here, but moonlighted as an illegal employment agent, charging 12 of his countrymen between S$1,800 and S$7,300 to find work here.

Bangladeshi Roy Tapon Kumar, 36, was fined S$30,000 on Tuesday (Nov 21), nearly as much as what he had illicitly made in agency fees.

Over about six months, from Oct 2015 to March last year, Roy would contact people back home looking for jobs. He asked them to send him copies of their passports and biodata, which he forwarded to hiring firm Bee Teck International.

For those who secured jobs, Roy forwarded the In-Principal Approval — a letter issued when a foreign worker’s work permit is approved — and their security bond letters from the company to them. A security bond is an undertaking by employers to send back their foreign workers upon termination of the employment.

Roy also arranged for one of the 12 Bangladeshis he illegally acted for to attend a job interview with the company.

Roy collected payments from the men directly, or through their friends and relatives, or via bank transfer.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said Roy also faced another two charges of instigating two foreign workers to conceal the fact that they had paid him agency fees when they were asked by an employment inspector. The two counts were taken into consideration for sentencing.

The ministry said 15 people have been convicted for conducting employment agency activities without a valid licence from 2015 to the first half of this year. Eight of these were foreign workers.

Ms Jeanette Har, the director of the Well-Being Department at MOM’s Foreign Manpower Management Division, said work pass holders are not allowed to be involved in illegal employment agent activities.

“On top of stiff penalties, work pass holders who break the law, will have their work passes revoked, and face employment debarment. Foreigners who seek employment should only use a licensed (employment agency) and they should verify the (employment agency) through the MOM Employment Agency Directory,” she added.

For each count of conducting employment agency activities without a valid licence, Roy could have been fined up to S$80,000, or jailed up to two years, or both.

MOM urged members of the public who have any information on unlicensed Employment Agency activities to report the matter to MOM at mom_fmmd [at] mom.gov.sg or call 6438 5122. All information will be kept strictly confidential.