25-6-2024 (SINGAPORE) In a tale that blends love, deception, and the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Taiwanese woman found herself behind bars after illegally obtaining a “freedom work pass” to be with her Singaporean boyfriend. The case highlights the lengths some were willing to go to circumvent travel restrictions imposed during the global health crisis.
Wang Ting-I, 41, fell into the clutches of the law when the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) uncovered a series of cases where foreign nationals had purchased work passes from a syndicate by making false declarations in their applications. The investigations, which began in 2021, revealed a disturbing trend of foreigners resorting to such measures to enter and remain in Singapore during the pandemic.
According to court documents made available on Tuesday, Wang was sentenced to six weeks in jail for conspiring with her boyfriend, Derrick Ong Yong Jit, to make a false statement in her work permit application. A second charge of working as a nightclub hostess without a valid work permit for over a year was also taken into consideration.
The story began in September 2019 when Wang met Ong through mutual friends, igniting a romantic connection that blossomed into a long-distance relationship after Wang had to return to Taiwan in July 2020 due to the rejection of her work permit extension by MOM. This coincided with Singapore’s “circuit breaker” period, when non-essential activities were curtailed to combat the virus’s spread.
Driven by their emotions and a desire to be together, the couple explored avenues to reunite despite the travel restrictions. A friend introduced them to a company known as Oleegey, which offered “freedom work permits” to foreigners for a monthly fee, maintaining the levies for the work passes.
Seduced by the prospect of being together, Wang and Ong decided to purchase the work permit, with Ong approaching an agent named Lin to facilitate the transaction. The application was submitted to MOM’s Work Pass Division in November 2020, and Wang was subsequently issued a work pass, ostensibly to work as a clerk for Oleegey – a company supposedly producing pre-cast components.
However, Wang never worked for the stated employer. Instead, she found employment as a hostess at a nightclub along Prinsep Street, earning an estimated average of S$12,000 to S$24,000 in tips from January 2021 to March 2022.
The couple’s deception unraveled when MOM uncovered Wang’s offenses, leading to her arrest just two days after her marriage to Ong in May 2022.
During the trial, the defense sought a fine of S$3,500 or no more than four weeks’ jail, citing the unique circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wang’s lawyer, Mr. Ranjit Singh, claimed his client had committed this “technical” offense solely due to her deep love for Ong and had worked at the nightclub only to “help out” her friends, not for financial gain.
However, District Judge Lorraine Ho highlighted the prevalence of such cases involving foreigners who bought work passes from syndicates with no intention of working for the specified employers. She emphasized that Wang’s deception had been maintained for an “extremely long time” and that she had not surrendered on her own accord.
Rejecting the defense’s argument that a jail term might result in Wang’s deportation and separation from her husband, Judge Ho stated that such considerations fall outside the court’s purview and are instead handled by the relevant authorities.
