<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Phantom workers: 4th man jailed
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>He gets year-long term as three more charged, taking the tally to 21 </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Esther Tan
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Cafe manager Soh Seng Thiam is one of the latest to be charged. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE fourth person to be sentenced over 'phantom worker' employment scams since November was given a year in prison yesterday.
Superb Plastics Manufacturing's sole proprietor, Soo Eng Yong, 45, was convicted of 12 charges of making false declarations about the number of Singaporeans employed, and of making false statements about employing several foreign workers.
Another 18 similar charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing. His jail term was backdated to March 5.
The court heard earlier this month that Soo's entire local workforce was made up of 'phantom workers'.
He submitted the particulars of Singaporeans he claimed were employed by his company. But in reality, he did not employ any of them.
Soo also lied about employing several of the foreign workers whom he had helped in obtaining work permits. He never had any jobs for them and they were left to fend for themselves when they arrived here.
His case follows that of Tampines restaurant owner Sulaiman Abdullah, 56, who was jailed for six months last month for similar offences, and packaging company boss Wong Piang Kai, 62, who was jailed for 16 months last week. No details are available on the third person jailed.
Also in court yesterday, three coffee shop operators were charged with hiring phantom staff, bringing the list of those charged since November to 21.
Director of Li Soon Food Court in Bukit Batok, Ho Chin Lai, 51, faced 26 charges - the most of the three.
The director of coffee shop Mabo Holdings, also in Bukit Batok, Pam Yoon Chung, 39, faced 15 charges, while the manager of Jurong Cafe, Soh Seng Thiam, 37, faced 14 charges.
Pam and Ho will have their cases mentioned again on May 14, while Soh will be back in court on April 23.
The divisional director of the Manpower Ministry's (MOM's) Foreign Manpower Management Division, Mr Aw Kum Cheong, said MOM would continue to aggressively pursue such cases.
'Our internal screening processes continue to surface suspicious employers. More members of the public are also coming forward with information...' he said. Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, inflating the foreign-worker entitlement by falsely declaring the number of local workers is punishable with a maximum fine of $15,000 or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>He gets year-long term as three more charged, taking the tally to 21 </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Esther Tan
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Cafe manager Soh Seng Thiam is one of the latest to be charged. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE fourth person to be sentenced over 'phantom worker' employment scams since November was given a year in prison yesterday.
Superb Plastics Manufacturing's sole proprietor, Soo Eng Yong, 45, was convicted of 12 charges of making false declarations about the number of Singaporeans employed, and of making false statements about employing several foreign workers.
Another 18 similar charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing. His jail term was backdated to March 5.
The court heard earlier this month that Soo's entire local workforce was made up of 'phantom workers'.
He submitted the particulars of Singaporeans he claimed were employed by his company. But in reality, he did not employ any of them.
Soo also lied about employing several of the foreign workers whom he had helped in obtaining work permits. He never had any jobs for them and they were left to fend for themselves when they arrived here.
His case follows that of Tampines restaurant owner Sulaiman Abdullah, 56, who was jailed for six months last month for similar offences, and packaging company boss Wong Piang Kai, 62, who was jailed for 16 months last week. No details are available on the third person jailed.
Also in court yesterday, three coffee shop operators were charged with hiring phantom staff, bringing the list of those charged since November to 21.
Director of Li Soon Food Court in Bukit Batok, Ho Chin Lai, 51, faced 26 charges - the most of the three.
The director of coffee shop Mabo Holdings, also in Bukit Batok, Pam Yoon Chung, 39, faced 15 charges, while the manager of Jurong Cafe, Soh Seng Thiam, 37, faced 14 charges.
Pam and Ho will have their cases mentioned again on May 14, while Soh will be back in court on April 23.
The divisional director of the Manpower Ministry's (MOM's) Foreign Manpower Management Division, Mr Aw Kum Cheong, said MOM would continue to aggressively pursue such cases.
'Our internal screening processes continue to surface suspicious employers. More members of the public are also coming forward with information...' he said. Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, inflating the foreign-worker entitlement by falsely declaring the number of local workers is punishable with a maximum fine of $15,000 or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.
