The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Wednesday that Singapore court found a 39-year-old man guilty of committing offences under the Immigration Act and Women's Charter and was sentenced to four weeks of jail term including fine of S$16,000.
The accused, Ong Ee Meng received his conviction on August 20 for harbouring an immigration offender. The court also heard that he sublet an apartment to a Chinese woman, 43, Liu Hui knowing the fact that she will be using the unit to provide sexual services. Later the investigators came to know that that woman is an overstayer.
The ICA officials said that the overstaying offences have been taken care of and she has since been repatriated. They also added that Liu arrived in the country on March 11, 2018, to work as a performing artist but she chose to become a freelance masseur. Even though her visit pass was expired on March 25 she continued to stay in Singapore illegally. But when the ICA officers conducted a search operation at the unit, they found Liu and arrested her.
Later, the officers arrested Ong for harbouring an immigration offender, Liu, who illegally stayed in the country for 32 days.
During the interrogation, the convict said that when he met Liu, he was told that she was in Singapore on a two-year singer's permit but, he did not ask her to provide any work pass or her passport.
ICA said that Ong knew that what Liu was doing at the apartment and later, he admitted that he was engaged in the vice activities.
The ICA advised the house owners that they should conduct due diligence checks to ensure that their foreign tenants are not staying in the country illegally. In addition, they also said that the owners should check the person's original immigration or work pass, cross-check the details on the work pass and verify the work pass with the issuing authority.
As per the law, if the court found the owners guilty of harbouring overstayers knowingly or allow the illegal immigrants to stay further, they could face six months to two years of imprisonment, including a maximum fine of S$6,000.
