Woman behind immigration investment scheme for foreigners to get PR status in Singapore gets convicted

SINGAPORE: A woman orchestrated a “sophisticated immigration investment scheme” where foreigners could obtain employment passes through sham employment arrangements as a stepping stone to obtain permanent residency in Singapore.

One Chinese national, hoping to obtain Singapore PR status, paid S$360,000 (US$278,970) as an “investment” in what turned out to be a sham job arrangement. The company in Singapore received the “investment” in exchange for providing the Chinese national with an employment pass.

Wang Jue, a 43-year-old Singapore citizen, according to charge sheets, was convicted on Friday (Jun 5) of one count of conspiring to make a false statement in a declaration form for an employment pass.

She denied the charge and any involvement in the employment pass application process, with the prosecution saying that she was shifting blame to a “fictitious character” named Wang Wei.

Wang was accused of abetting two men, Zhang Qingqiao and Ang Sek Chai, to make a false statement that Zhang would be employed by Ang’s company, MW Dynamics.

Prosecutors from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) argued that Wang’s role was central to her fraudulent scheme – she designed the investment proposal, facilitated arrangements between Zhang and the company, and collected “substantial fees” for her services.

Wang was previously named in court papers in a case of a Chinese national who paid S$1 million in “investment” hoping to obtain Singapore permanent residency.

THE CASE

Zhang, who testified for the prosecution, said his immigration assistant had introduced him to Wang as an immigration agent who could help him immigrate to Singapore.

In turn, Ang was introduced to Wang through a person who said Wang could bring investors from China to expand MW.

Zhang testified that when he first met Wang in September 2019, she introduced to him “the investment and the so-called risk guarantee for (his) investment”.

Wang provided an “immigration investment proposal” in the form of PowerPoint slides, titled “Singapore Equity Investment Immigration Proposal”, Zhang said.

The deck outlined the steps required to apply for PR status in Singapore and contained various investment proposals, Zhang said.

He testified that the deck had the same terms as those adopted in the investment agreement between him and Ang. This includes an investment amount of S$360,000, a fixed dividend of S$10,000 per month for 36 months, and the provision for MW to grant him an employment pass.

He testified that the plan was for him to obtain an employment pass first, but he said he did not know the pass required him to work.

“So, regarding my immigration to Singapore, Wang Jue told us through investing in a company. So, after investing could obtain EP,” he said.

After obtaining the EP or employment pass, it could be converted to PR status roughly after three years, Zhang said, citing what Wang told him.

“So … now I know that it is actually a work pass. But prior to my application, no one had ever told me it was a work pass. So, I thought that in order to immigrate to Singapore to obtain Singapore PR, obtaining EP was part of the basic process,” said Zhang.

He said he trusted Wang, who was the one who “brought up the investment and the immigration proposal” and handled all the execution, application and liaising with companies.

Zhang transferred S$360,000 directly into Wang’s company account and received two invoices – one for S$12,500 for investment consultancy and professional service, and another for S$288,000 for “dividends investment fund”.

In September 2019, Zhang signed the declaration form for his employment pass application to work at MW in September 2019.

Ang, the director of MW, also signed the same form. The form was submitted to the work pass division of MOM and an employment pass for Zhang was subsequently issued.

However, Zhang never worked for MW or set foot on its premises, a fact Ang confirmed.

Despite not working, Zhang received monthly “salaries” of S$10,000 from MW for 13 months.

Zhang said this was payment of his principal investment sum and dividends for his “investment” of S$360,000 into MW, rather than genuine salaries.

MW’s director, Ang, also stated that in exchange for this “investment”, the company was required to apply for an employment pass for Zhang.

Wang was represented by Mr Luke Netto, who argued that the prosecution had failed to prove the conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt.

He said his client was a middleman who would assist clients with high net-worth to become permanent residents in Singapore, and to “assist entrepreneurs to invest in and incorporate companies in Singapore”.

He argued that his client’s dealings with Zhang were limited to his investment in MW and had no connection to Zhang’s employment by MW, and that there was no agreement between Wang, Zhang and Ang to make a false declaration.

District Judge Tan Jen Tse said the investment agreement was, on its face, a sham and paid no real returns. The only tangible benefit Zhang received was an employment pass.

He said Wang’s evidence in relation to the person called Wang Wei was unreliable, and found that there was ample evidence to show Wang’s involvement.

She will return to court for mitigation and sentencing in July.

She faces up to two years’ jail and a fine of not more than S$20,000 for the charge of conspiring to make a false statement in an employment pass declaration form.

Wang faces multiple other charges which are still pending.

Additional reporting by Ang Hwee Min.

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