While entire Singapore is busy with their loved ones to celebrate Valentine's week, six husbands including their wives have been convicted of registering fake marriages. The legal authority found two masterminds behind the entire sham marriage syndicate.
A man named Adrian Kin Zheng Keat and Vietnamese woman Ho Thi Be Ba were identified as the main culprit behind the entire planning of the syndicate. According to the daily newspaper of the Republic called Lianhe Zaobao, it has facilitated six false unions between men and Vietnamese woman since 2016.
However, the 37-year-old Kin was sentenced to 18 months in jail, including a fine for S$24,000. His crime partner Ho has also received 18 months of imprisonment. Those fake marriage couples were also found guilty and jailed for terms from six to 15 months.
During the hearing, the court heard that the six men were aged from 24 to 57, who entered into this fake engagement for monetary returns. The court also came to know that, other six Vietnamese women, aged between 23 and 34, wanted to extend their stay for job purpose in the south-east Asian country Singapore.
To make the union look like genuine marriage, the groom flew to Vietnam to click wedding photos with his Vietnamese wife. On the other hand, there were others who lived together to prove that they are leading a happily married life.
According to Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), 53 people who were faced criminal charges for sham marriage in 2017. It showed that this syndicate has increased to 23% from 43 according to 2016 data.
Even a parliament bill, the modified Immigration Act and mentioned sham marriages as a criminal offence. It allows prosecuting couples, middlemen or marriage agencies involved in marriages being entered into for the purpose of obtaining immigration advantages.
Based on the conviction the punishment may vary from $10,000 fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or both.
