Eighteen migrant workers who paid kickbacks of $900 to $7,000 as a condition for renewing their work passes in December 2020 were working for Ang Mo Kio Town Council.
Loo Kim Huat, 68, the director and group head of conservancy at WIS Holdings, which manages Weishen Industrial Services, was on July 24 fined $90,000 and ordered to pay a penalty of $42,000 by a district court for his role in the scheme, which resulted in the collection of $112,400 in kickbacks from the workers.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) told The Straits Times on July 29 that the 18 workers involved in the case were conservancy workers for Ang Mo Kio Town Council.
In response to queries, a spokesperson for Ang Mo Kio Town Council said it was not aware of the employment arrangement involving the workers in 2020 until MOM issued a public statement on the case after Loo’s sentencing.
Weishen Industrial Services is a term contractor engaged in one of the town council’s seven divisions, the spokesperson added.
Said the spokesperson: “We take MOM’s findings seriously and are currently reviewing Weishen Industrial Services’ contract performance and compliance.
“At present, Weishen Industrial Services continues to provide estate cleaning and maintenance services for some areas managed by Ang Mo Kio Town Council.”
The spokesperson said the town council does not tolerate any form of worker exploitation and that while town councils do not directly employ conservancy workers, it will remind its conservancy companies to be vigilant and to reinforce safeguards.
“We have also advised conservancy workers personally that they may approach Ang Mo Kio Town Council managers or officers directly if they experience any mistreatment, and we will escalate such matters to the relevant authorities,” the spokesperson added.
MOM said in a press statement after the sentencing that nine of the affected workers have returned home, while the other nine are working in Singapore, with three employed by Weishen.
This incident comes after a similar case in 2024 when a conservancy company’s manager, who oversaw estate cleaners in Nee Soon East and Pasir Ris-Punggol, was sentenced to 24 weeks’ jail in one of the largest cases of kickbacks investigated by MOM.
Derrick Ho, who was sentenced in November 2024, had collected $396,440 from 57 Bangladeshi workers from 2014 to 2020 for the renewal of their work permits.
Following this incident, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who anchors Nee Soon GRC, said it was the group representation constituency’s MPs who sought an investigation into the kickbacks once they learnt about the case from a whistle-blower.
In the case involving the Ang Mo Kio Town Council workers, MOM employment inspectors carried out investigations into Weishen on Dec 8, 2020, after receiving information on possible contravention of the laws under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, court documents said.
The scheme in the latest case had been ongoing for four to five years before December 2020 and had originated from an employment agent called Kamaruzzaman, who was based in Bangladesh and was responsible for bringing in Bangladeshi nationals to work in Singapore at Weishen.
Loo’s other co-conspirators were Lim Choong Seng, a former site manager at Weishen, and conservancy workers Kabir Mohammad Humayun and Robel, who goes by one name.
Kamaruzzaman instructed Lim, Kabir, Robel and Kamaruzzaman’s relatives in Singapore to collect employment kickbacks from foreign employees whose work permits were applied for under Weishen.
After the employment kickbacks were collected by Kabir and Robel, they would be handed to Lim, and then to Loo.
Loo, who was Lim’s direct superior, would pay Lim $300 for every kickback collected from each foreign employee.
Loo and Lim would decide which foreign workers’ work passes to renew, providing positive feedback to Weishen’s human resources department for only the foreign employees who had paid the kickbacks.
MOM said Lim was convicted in August 2024 and fined $84,000, while Kabir’s case is pending before the court.
According to court documents, Robel remains at large.
An MOM prosecutor told the court on July 24 that Kamaruzzaman remained outside of Singapore’s jurisdiction the last time the ministry checked.
Loo, who has paid a total of $83,050 as restitution to the affected migrant workers, pleaded guilty to six charges of receiving money from a foreign employee as a condition for the worker’s continued employment, which is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Another 12 similar charges were taken into consideration during his sentencing.
Those who are found to have collected kickbacks can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $30,000, or both.
Samuel Devaraj for The Straits Times
Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes worked for AMK Town Council: MOM
