Most Migrant Workers Affected By Kickbacks In Singapore Receive Full Restitution

SINGAPORE, March 4 (Bernama) -- Forty-two of the 63 migrant workers (67 per cent) who were victims of kickback offences in the second half of last year in Singapore have received full restitution during the course of investigations, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

MOM stated that seven workers received partial restitution during the investigations, while 14 workers had not received any restitution by the end of the investigations.

“For cases that are subsequently prosecuted, the courts may order defendants to make restitution to victims if they have not yet done so,” the ministry said in a written reply to parliamentary questions from Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Hazel Poa on Monday.

MOM said it records information on restitution to victims of kickbacks when it occurs during the course of its investigations.

Kickbacks, or collecting money from foreign employees as a condition of their employment, are a serious offence in Singapore.

Upon conviction, individuals and businesses that collect kickbacks may be fined up to S$30,000 or imprisoned for up to two years, or both, per charge. Errant employers will also be debarred from employing migrant workers.

In November last year, a Singaporean man was sentenced to 24 weeks’ imprisonment after being convicted under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA) for collecting kickbacks from 57 migrant workers on multiple occasions between 2014 and 2020.

The case, one of the largest kickback cases investigated by MOM, saw the man face 61 charges under the EFMA. He pleaded guilty to 20 charges, with the remaining 41 taken into consideration for the purposes of sentencing.

-- BERNAMA