2 months' jail for married Singaporean man who secretly wed domestic helper in Batam

While still legally married to his wife, a Singaporean man secretly took his domestic helper girlfriend as his second wife.

Low Kok Peng, 61, was handed a two-month jail sentence on Friday (April 24) after pleading guilty to bigamy under the Women's Charter 1961 Act.

Court documents seen by AsiaOne state that his second marriage to the 50-year-old Komariah, took place on May 5, 2024, in Batam.

This happened after their eight-year-long affair. They met through a friend in 2016, reported CNA.

Low was not divorced at the time when he tied the knot with Komariah.

His legal wife, who he married in 1992 and has a daughter with, was unaware of his second marriage.

After the Batam wedding, Low continued to live with his first wife.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Komariah wanted to marry Low because she wanted to buy property in Batam.

She is facing a charge of bigamy, by allegedly marrying the Singaporean while knowing his marital status, and is also accused of breaching work permit regulations by not seeking approval from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for marriage.

The case was reported to the police this January after information was submitted by MOM, reports said.

Low, who was unrepresented in court on Friday, did not plead for leniency.

For the offence of bigamy, he could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined up to $10,000.

AsiaOne has reached out to MOM for more information.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com