SINGAPORE - A Singaporean man and a Chinese woman have been sentenced to jail for their involvement in a marriage of convenience and for giving false statements.

Pang Beng Lee, 46, had arranged for the marriage between Qin Fuxing, 34, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, and his older brother Beng Hai, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Thursday (March 11).

Pang was given a jail term of 12 months and two weeks, while Qin was sentenced to 10 months and two weeks' imprisonment. They were sentenced under the Immigration Act.

Charges against Pang's older brother were abated as he had died in April last year.

ICA said in a statement that Pang first met Qin when she was living and working in Malaysia in 2013. But they could not get married as Pang was already married with children then.

He then suggested that his older brother marry Qin, which would enable them to apply for subsidised public housing as a married couple. At the time, his brother needed a place to stay after he had transferred ownership of his flat to his former wife, ICA said.

"In this way, Beng Lee could also continue to be with Qin," the authority added.

Pang's brother and Qin solemnised their marriage of convenience on Sept 11, 2017, with Pang as the witness.

Qin then managed to extend her stay in Singapore several times with Pang's brother as her sponsor, said ICA.

During this period, Pang helped the "couple" make false statements by declaring that they were staying at the same residential address stated in Qin's visit pass application.

ICA did not reveal details of its investigations, but said its officers arrested the trio at three different residential addresses in Jurong, Hougang and Woodlands on May 31, 2018.

"ICA takes a serious view of individuals trying to circumvent our system by engaging in or arranging/assisting to arrange MOCs (marriages of convenience) to obtain immigration facilities in Singapore," it added.

"We will spare no effort in investigating such cases, and will pursue every available lead."

The maximum penalty for the marriage of convenience offence is a fine of up to $10,000 and/or jail time of up to 10 years.

Those who make false statements to obtain immigration facilities can face a fine of up to $4,000 and/or a jail term of up to 12 months.

"We welcome members of the public to report any suspected case of marriage of convenience, as well as any other immigration-related offences," said ICA, adding that this can be done via its online reporting form.

"All information will be treated with the strictest confidence," said the authority.