SINGAPORE – Three brothers were among five Singaporeans convicted of illegally employing foreigners to run stalls at night markets and a bazaar.
Two of the brothers did not provide proper lodging to six foreigners whom they had illegally hired as stall assistants at the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, which resulted in some workers sleeping on the floor at the stalls they worked at after they closed shop, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a media statement on Jan 5.
The illicit activity of the brothers – Ker Eng Kiat and Ker Eng Hock – was first noticed when MOM officers inspected the bazaar on April 4, 2023.
Investigations revealed that the brothers had illegally hired six workers on social visit passes as stall assistants whose duties included preparing and selling food products as well as collecting cash.
Ker Eng Kiat, 52, was sentenced on Jan 4 to one month’s jail and fined $23,000 for illegally employing five Indonesians without valid work passes. He had previously been convicted of the same offence more than a decade ago in 2013.
His brother Eng Hock, 53, was sentenced on Sept 7, 2023, to a fine of $6,000 for illegally employing a worker without a valid work pass.
Separately, their younger brother Ker Yong Sen, 41, was convicted of conspiring with another Singaporean, Tan Hoe Soon, 70, to hire two foreign workers without valid work passes to work at an Ang Mo Kio pasar malam, the ministry said.
Both men had rented a food stall at the night market from March to April 2023, and the workers had been hired as food stall assistants.
The foreign workers were also on social visit passes and were not provided with proper lodging.
Tan and Ker Yong Sen were sentenced in September 2023 to a fine of $8,500 each.
A third case involved Sao Wei Loon, 47, who was found to have illegally hired 11 foreign workers to run food stalls at a pasar malam outside Hillion Mall in Bukit Panjang in October 2022.
Sao was sentenced on Oct 3, 2023, to two months’ jail and fined $45,000 for illegally employing the workers, who were here on social visit passes.
All 19 foreign workers employed by the five Singaporeans have been barred from working here, said MOM.
Those who employ foreign workers without a valid work pass can be fined up to $30,000, jailed for a maximum of 12 months, or both.
Members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities, or who know of employers or other people who illegally employ foreign workers, should report the matter to MOM by calling 6438-5122 or e-mailing mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg
The ministry said: “All information will be kept strictly confidential.”
