Cleaning company owner charged with various employment offences
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MOM said that apart from being the sole proprietor of a cleaning company, Qin Xiaoxi was the director of two other companies.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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SINGAPORE – The sole proprietor of a cleaning company is said to have illegally employed two workers, as well as received money for getting work passes for 20 foreigners.
On Jan 9, Qin Xiaoxi, 30, was handed a total of 23 charges, including 20 over illegal labour importation.
Of the remaining three charges, two were over illegal employment and one was over false declaration of employment.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Jan 9 that apart from being the sole proprietor of Xpress Cleaning & Service, Qin was the director of two other companies – Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture – which were not operational.
From May to September 2022, Qin allegedly obtained work passes for the 20 foreigners to work for these two companies in exchange for money.
MOM said these foreigners were not employed by the two companies after they came to Singapore.
Qin had also purportedly declared in an S-Pass application on or around Feb 3, 2022, that another foreigner would be employed as a customer service officer by Xpress Manufacture, when there was no intention for her to take up that role.
Between June and December 2022, Qin also allegedly employed two foreigners without valid work passes to work for Xpress Cleaning & Service.
As the company did not have the quota to hire more foreigners, the two workers obtained work passes under Xpress Manufacture and Express Manufacture.
According to court documents, one is said to have worked as a driver for Xpress Cleaning & Service and the other as an administrative executive there.
MOM said investigations against the foreigners involved in the alleged offences are ongoing.
Qin’s case was adjourned to Feb 6.
For each charge of illegal labour importation he is convicted of, he can be jailed for between six months and two years, and fined up to $6,000. If convicted of six or more of such charges, caning may also be imposed.
For each charge of employing foreigners without a valid work pass he is convicted of, he can be jailed for up to 12 months, fined between $5,000 and $30,000, or both.
Qin can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $20,000 or both, if he is convicted of false declaration of employment.
Upon conviction of the latter two offences, MOM will also ban him from employing foreign workers.
MOM said members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities such as foreigners obtaining work passes under false auspices or working without valid work passes should report the matter via its eService “Report an infringement”.
It added that all information provided will be kept strictly confidential.
