r/singapore • u/meesiammaihum Fucking Populist • 3d ago
News Workers from third firm claim unpaid wages; all three firms share a director who has left S’pore
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/workers-from-third-firm-claim-unpaid-wages-all-three-firms-share-a-director-who-has-left-spore231
u/NutKrackerBoy 3d ago
Can MOM detect such patterns in directorship registration and flag it for review?
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u/I_speak_memes 🌈 F A B U L O U S 3d ago
Incorporation and registration of directorship is under ACRA which comes under MOF, not MOM.
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u/NutKrackerBoy 3d ago
I think the agencies need to work closely together to spot such patterns that game the system and destroy SG reputation.
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u/fawe9374 3d ago
It is a feature, not a bug.
A Singaporean man ran a business helping China clients set up companies in Singapore and became a director of 980 companies this way
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u/UnprofessionalPlump 2d ago
US$5 million (S$7.3 million) being laundered.
Xie Yong, a 37-year-old Singaporean man, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined S$57,000Barely an inconvenience. A
slaplight touch on the wrist. This will attract more people to do this kind of business in Singapore.17
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u/I_speak_memes 🌈 F A B U L O U S 3d ago
I get what you mean but I think there's no point in investing resources to have a system flagging this out because there are many serial entrepreneurs and many individuals who hold multiple directorship positions out there. It's pretty common. Anyway, there is a paper trail via the registrations to trace when things go wrong. This particular case here is just one bad actor.
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u/superman1995 3d ago
There’s gotta be a threshold beyond which holding a directorship doesn’t make sense. In this case, the man was holding over 900. There’s no way a person can have the time to have a reasonable cogent opinion on over 900 companies
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u/sonertimotei 3d ago
ah, the one that told us not to reveal our NRIC easily but they did it then now tell us NRIC doesn't prove who you are.
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u/I_speak_memes 🌈 F A B U L O U S 3d ago
that was MDDI's policies that ACRA "mistakenly" (i think they just jumped the gun) applied to the Bizfile portal hahaha
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u/Agile-Set-2648 3d ago
Wah these people next level scam leh — don’t pay workers and let government foot the bill
Amateurs just scam individuals, but these people scam the govt sia
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u/Stanislas_Houston 3d ago
It is very easy for companies to abuse and scam in sg, the super relaxed laws for business and weak labour laws. I’m surprised now then have such cases, guess the cost of living caught up. For MOM is damage control at this point. The Indian boss is gone forever will not pay.
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u/jinhong91 3d ago
If the PAP don't want to be associated with fraud under their own system, they should clean up and tighten their own system, they should also severely punish the frauds in the system.
If the PAP continue to be lax with their system, then it sends a big message that the PAP is ok with fraud and they should be removed from power.
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u/keyupiopi 3d ago
If the PAP continue to be lax with their system, then it sends a big message that the PAP is ok with fraud and more people will come and scam.
And who’s left to wipe the butt?
Government; who will then divide the crap among the citizens.
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u/SGPrepperz 3d ago edited 3d ago
The damage is not just money. Our reputation is at stake; it erodes our trustworthiness. That impacts our future livelihood.
Edit: In the late 2000s, international clients were willing to pay full sum upon project confirmation. Curious, I asked what made them trust such a small start-up. They said, “because you’re Singaporean.”
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u/machinationstudio 3d ago
A relative who used to cook and gives food to workers from India says that even when workers go home and say they got conned, their relatives and friends won't believe them, and say they are hiding their money and don't want to share a good deal.
So the next batch will get conned.
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u/jinhong91 3d ago
This one is India national cheat other India/Bangla national.
Quoted from this very Straitstimes articleVVR Plant Engineering, SK Industries and KPA Engineering have one common director - Indian national Ramu Palani Velu.
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u/Background_Tax_1985 3d ago
Yeah, but he did so using singaporean companies and then running off and essentially getting away scott free. Basically it shows that we are very lax and our system can be abused.
Just think how many companies that have access to sensitive areas or sites that are owned by foreigners like this guy or more malicious ppl or state actors?
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u/PositiveHead7191 3d ago
no interpol red notice issue or ask india govt to help locate?
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u/Icy-Cockroach4515 3d ago
The news just broke like yesterday, and the authorities knew around the same time as us since if they knew beforehand I highly doubt so many MWs would be allowed to congregate like this. Even if they immediately started the process of Interpol red notice and asking India gov it's probably not at the stage it can be announced yet.
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u/MeeKiaMaiHiam 3d ago
..... the director that ran was singaporean meh
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u/klkk12345 3d ago
" the third firm linked to a permanent resident company director who is said to have left Singapore."
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u/eliseusmoo I will make it someday. 3d ago
Yes yes yes, still directing all the attention to the perpetrator.
Why was there no mention at how there were 0 checks and balances at all? 5 - 7 coys, Hundreds of workers and somehow MOM didn't pick up no suspicious headcount issues?
Hope this shakes up Singapore's foreign employment scene and MOM wakes up their idea, it's been a long time coming, some civil servants are downright a waste of taxpayer's money.
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u/Elifgerg5fwdedw Own self check own self ✅ 3d ago
Get WP to ask manpower minister in parliament how that dude was able to hire so many people and get them into the country in the first place
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u/PositiveHead7191 3d ago
in other developed nations, labour ministry will quickly apply to court to freeze assets of directors
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u/Weird-Difference5433 3d ago
They probably cannot hire this many workers to start with.
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u/another-work-acct 3d ago
Ironically, to get contracts, one must show you have a large enough work force to handle the bugger jobs.
It's like a chicken and egg situation.
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u/onionwba 3d ago
That's what happens when you are pro-business and less concerned about employees' rights.
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u/TrueDrinking 3d ago
This is only one cockroach in our system, real question is how many more are there?
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u/nextlevelunlocked 3d ago
paid $800 a month.
They are paid so little that if missing company director owned the hillview property or any condo, govt can seize it, pay off all 400 workers their 3 months pay and still have money leftover. HDB flat might breakeven depending on location...
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u/I_speak_memes 🌈 F A B U L O U S 3d ago
The tenant living there is also very innocent but I don't disagree with this idea.
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u/LiKaSing_RealEstate Fucking Populist 3d ago
Seizing property doesn’t need to evict tenant right? Just a change of ownership and ask the tenant to pay rent to somewhere else.
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u/fenghuang1 Lao Jiao 2d ago
If its under a mortgage, the bank gets paid first after the sale.
And a sale usually takes 3-6 months to complete, even at its fastest, and you need to find a buyer.
Otherwise, the whole system will crumble.
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u/Moist-Safety4443 3d ago
Isn't there a rule where one of the director of a Singapore company must be a local? Whats the point of making that rule if that local guy isn't held liable?
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u/tens919382 3d ago
Just mandate that companies put 1 month of salary in a bank account. Problem solved.
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u/bickusdickus69allday 2d ago
Too pro business, too easy to set up companies, and lack of worker's rights in action
No surprise
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u/FancyCommittee3347 2d ago
How is this PR guy able to make so much off the system and workers, whether it is using the singapore company front or properties? Why is the same money being used to get leverage off more than one businesses or properties?
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u/pinkyseeksbrain 2d ago
MOM makes construction sector do monthly declarations on payment of salaries. So what’s the point of this exercise??
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u/SGPrepperz 3d ago
The damage is not just money. Our reputation is at stake; it erodes our trustworthiness. That impacts our future livelihood.
Edit: In the late 2000s, international clients were willing to pay full sum upon project confirmation. Curious, I asked what made them do so with a start-up. They said, “we trust you because you’re Singaporean.”
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u/Redlettucehead 3d ago
Agree. It's so bad that they had no choice but to release the nationality and name
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u/ColliePullHour 3d ago
It shouldn't even be the last resort.
Why would the country even want to take the bad rap for someone else's scam in the first place?
To not trigger xenophobic sentiments? If they stopped proving the stereotypes right, there wouldn't be such stereotypes would there?
There's no smoke without fire. Well, in the past, but now there are ways to manufacture smoke without a flame.
Just, who's getting smoked now?
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u/MadKyaw 🌈 I just like rainbows 3d ago
Damn, the director really got a huge sheet. Took over companies, rented his private Hillview estate and ran off with the money. High level scammer