Two Singaporean men have been jailed for arranging a marriage of convenience between a Singaporean man and a female Chinese national.
Choo Yong Sheng and Yap Junlian, both 38, were convicted on Aug 4 and Aug 12 respectively for offences under the Immigration Act, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) yesterday.
Both men were sentenced to 32 weeks' jail. Choo has been jailed for an additional 12 weeks for hurting police officers in a dispute unrelated to the sham marriage.
Choo and Yap were also fined $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
Investigations by the authority revealed that in 2015, Choo had offered to help Chinese national Zhang Fengyu, 42, prolong her stay in Singapore by finding her a Singaporean husband.
Zhang, a long-term visit pass holder under the study mama scheme for foreign women accompanying their children who study in Singapore, wanted to remain in the Republic after her son completed his education.
In return for arranging a sham marriage for her, Choo asked Zhang for a payment of $18,000 and received a deposit of $3,000 from her.
Meanwhile, Yap recruited Ng Wei Keong Jason, a 44-year-old Singaporean man, as the prospective bridegroom, promising him a reward of $8,000.
After Ng and Zhang solemnised their marriage on July 11, 2016, Zhang paid Yap $10,000. She agreed to pay him another $5,000 after she successfully became a long-term visit pass holder under the sponsorship of her Singaporean spouse.
ICA officers arrested Ng and Zhang in March 2017 for entering into a marriage of convenience. Ng and Zhang were sentenced to jail of six and three months respectively.
ICA said Choo and Yap were arrested by its officers in July 2018 and January last year respectively for their involvement in the sham marriage.
The authority added that it takes a serious view of individuals trying to circumvent Singapore's immigration system by engaging in or arranging marriages of convenience to obtain immigration facilities in Singapore.
The authority added that it takes a serious view of individuals trying to circumvent Singapore's immigration system by engaging in or arranging marriages of convenience to obtain immigration facilities in Singapore.
If convicted, a person may be fined up to $10,000 or jailed for up to 10 years, or both.
Members of the public can report suspected cases of marriages of convenience to ICA via https://eservices.ica.gov.sg/feedback
