6 jailed for taking part in marriage of convenience arrangements

SINGAPORE - A Chinese woman and her married Singaporean lover have been jailed after immigration officers uncovered a complex web of arrangements made in order for the woman to remain in Singapore.

Fong Chee Keong, 41, arranged for a marriage of convenience between his lover Tang Qiu Xia, 36, and Raymond Roy, 42, so Tang could live in Singapore.

Tang, who is also married to someone else, did not live with Raymond Roy even after they got married in June last year.

Irregularities were found when Tang applied for a visit pass under the sponsorship of Raymond in July, 2012. Two days later, Fong also submitted an application for a long term visit pass (LTVP) for Tang. In Fong’s application, he stated Tang’s residential address as Raymond's address, and falsely stated that she was pregnant.

Raymond and Tang were both told to meet with Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers as a follow up but they failed to show up.

Tang was arrested for overstaying on August 2, 2012.

She was charged and convicted on August 10, 2012, for making a false statement in her visa application and disembarkation/embarkation card, as well as for overstaying.

Raymond was charged and convicted for making false statements in his application for Tang’s visit pass.

Both Tang and Raymond were sentenced to four weeks’ imprisonment.

Fong Chee Keong was charged for abetting Tang and Raymond to make false statements to obtain a visit pass for Tang; and also for abetting Tang to make false statements in her disembarkation/embarkation card. He was also charged for making a false statement in an attempt to obtain a visit pass for Tang.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was convicted for one count of making a false statement in an attempt to obtain a visit pass for Tang. He was sentenced to 4 weeks’ imprisonment in July this year.

Further investigations led ICA officers to a Singaporean man, Gordon Koh, who was found to have assisted Tang in prolonging her stay in Singapore by abetting her to make false statements in her disembarkation/embarkation card in April 2012 .

Another man, Steven Fong, 40, who was a witness for Tang and Raymond’s marriage, was found to also be involved in another marriage of convenince with a Chinese national, Zheng Cijun.

Gordon Koh, 41, was sentenced to 3 weeks in jail for abetting a false statement in Tang’s documents.

Steven Fong was sentenced to 2 weeks in jail for abetting false statements in Zheng’s application for a visit pass. The woman he was in a marriage of convenience with was also sentenced to 4 weeks' jail for making false statements.

Those who have contracted/ entered into an MOC or those who have arranged or assisted in arranging such marriages on or after December 19 face a maximum fine of $10,000,  up to 10 years in jail, or both.

ljessica@sph.com.sg