Seven Individuals Charged for Allegedly Performing or Abetting Illegal Employment Offences
On 26 September 2023, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) charged four foreigners with four counts of allegedly working illegally as food delivery riders in Singapore without valid work passes. Two Singaporeans and one Permanent Resident (PR) were also charged with three counts of alleged abetment of these offences. They had purportedly provided the foreigners with access to their accounts on various food delivery platforms, despite being aware that the foreigners did not have valid work passes to work as food delivery riders. These are offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).
The individuals and their respective charges are as follows:
| S/N | Name of individual | Charges | Details |
| 1 | Ng Teik Chuan (“Ng”), 36-year-old foreigner | One charge under the EFMA for being a self-employed foreigner without having a valid work pass to do so. | From May 2022 to March 2023, Ng had allegedly worked as a food delivery rider through the MilkRun and LiveExpress platforms. |
| 2 | Amanullah Faizal Navas (“Amanullah”), 37-year-old foreigner | One charge under the EFMA for being a self-employed foreigner without having a valid work pass to do so. | In March 2023, Amanullah had allegedly worked as a food delivery rider through the FoodPanda platform, using an account belonging to his friend, Mubeen. |
| 3 | Chaw Soon Yaw (“Soon Yaw”), 28-year-old foreigner | One charge under the EFMA for being a self-employed foreigner without having a valid work pass to do so. | From December 2022 to March 2023, Soon Yaw had allegedly worked as a food delivery rider through the Deliveroo platform by using an account belonging to his brother, Soon Song. |
| 4 | Muhammad Syazuwan Bin Sharil (“Syazuwan”), 27-year-old foreigner | One charge under the EFMA for being a self-employed foreigner without having a valid work pass to do so. | From November 2022 to March 2023, Syazuwan had allegedly worked as a food delivery rider through the Deliveroo platform by using an account belonging to his ex-colleague, Low. |
| 5 | Muhammad Mubeen Muthibbi Bin Sahul Hameed (“Mubeen”), 47-year-old Singapore Citizen | One charge the EFMA for abetting the illegal self-employment of a foreigner who does not have a valid work pass. | In March 2023, Mubeen allegedly lent his FoodPanda account to his friend, Amanullah, which allowed Amanullah to work as a food delivery rider. |
| 6 | Chaw Soon Song (“Soon Song”), 23-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident | One charge under the EFMA for abetting the illegal self-employment of a foreigner who does not have a valid work pass. | From December 2022 to March 2023, Soon Song allegedly lent his Deliveroo account to his brother, Soon Yaw, which allowed Soon Yaw to work as a food delivery rider. |
| 7 | Low Kim Soon (“Low”), 35-year-old Singapore Citizen | One charge under the EFMA for abetting the illegal self-employment of a foreigner who does not have a valid work pass. | From November 2022 to March 2023, Low allegedly lent his Deliveroo account to his ex-colleague Syazuwan, which allowed Syazuwan to work as a food delivery rider. |
MOM has been engaging the major food delivery platforms to enhance their processes and prevent the misuse of accounts by unauthorised parties. MOM and the platforms have also worked together on educational messages to advise riders against allowing foreigners to use or share their food delivery accounts, which have been disseminated through the platforms’ communication channels.
Penalties for Illegal Employment
Foreigners who are self-employed without a valid work pass may be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Upon conviction, they will be permanently barred from working in Singapore.
Local delivery platform workers who are found to have allowed foreigners to use their accounts may face the same penalties as the latter.
Members of the public who are aware of suspicious employment activities such as companies employing foreigners without valid work passes or know of persons or employers who contravene the EFMA should report the matter to MOM at 64385122 or [email protected]. All information that is shared will be kept strictly confidential.
Source: Ministry of Manpower