<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>July 16, 2009
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Phantom worker scam: 2 jailed <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Elena Chong
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Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60, is the first from the SME Group of companies to be convicted of lying to the Controller of Work Passes. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->A DIRECTOR of a cleaning services group was jailed for 12 months on Thursday for what has been called the 'phantom worker'' scam.
Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60, is the first from the SME Group of companies to be convicted of lying to the Controller of Work Passes.
He pleaded guilty earlier to 20 out of 101 counts of conspiring with Lim Chye Cheng, 52, and Tay Hian Chye, 47, to furnish false information relating to foreign workers' work permit applications last year.
Lim, who has since absconded, was the defacto boss of the SME group, running the entire operations even though he was neither a director nor owner of any of the companies then.
The foreign workforce entitlements for the SME group were calculated based on the number of local workers employed by them.
The group had collected copies of identity card number from Singaporeans who were not actively working for them and paid for their Central Provident Fund contributions.
CPF contributions were made to these phantom workers by some of the companies of the SME Group to achieve the required local workforce numbers so that they had enough entitlement to apply for foreign workers to work for the respective companies.
The list of phantom workers included people who had died, the elderly and young students.
Lee, who was recruited by Lim in May last year, registered himself as a director for nine companies under the group. He was paid about $3,000 a month and his duties included signing of contracts and tenancy agreements and collecting photocopies of phantom workers' identity cards.
Tay's case is pending.
In the same court, Low Ah Moi, 61, former owner of Falcon Packaging, was also jailed 12 months after he admitted to 14 similar offences.
Low had agreed to become the owner of the company and sign on work permit application forms for foreigners, and would be paid $1,000 for each foreigner successfully brought in.
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Phantom worker scam: 2 jailed <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Elena Chong
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60, is the first from the SME Group of companies to be convicted of lying to the Controller of Work Passes. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->A DIRECTOR of a cleaning services group was jailed for 12 months on Thursday for what has been called the 'phantom worker'' scam.
Steven Lee Kong Weng, 60, is the first from the SME Group of companies to be convicted of lying to the Controller of Work Passes.
He pleaded guilty earlier to 20 out of 101 counts of conspiring with Lim Chye Cheng, 52, and Tay Hian Chye, 47, to furnish false information relating to foreign workers' work permit applications last year.
Lim, who has since absconded, was the defacto boss of the SME group, running the entire operations even though he was neither a director nor owner of any of the companies then.
The foreign workforce entitlements for the SME group were calculated based on the number of local workers employed by them.
The group had collected copies of identity card number from Singaporeans who were not actively working for them and paid for their Central Provident Fund contributions.
CPF contributions were made to these phantom workers by some of the companies of the SME Group to achieve the required local workforce numbers so that they had enough entitlement to apply for foreign workers to work for the respective companies.
The list of phantom workers included people who had died, the elderly and young students.
Lee, who was recruited by Lim in May last year, registered himself as a director for nine companies under the group. He was paid about $3,000 a month and his duties included signing of contracts and tenancy agreements and collecting photocopies of phantom workers' identity cards.
Tay's case is pending.
In the same court, Low Ah Moi, 61, former owner of Falcon Packaging, was also jailed 12 months after he admitted to 14 similar offences.
Low had agreed to become the owner of the company and sign on work permit application forms for foreigners, and would be paid $1,000 for each foreigner successfully brought in.
