SINGAPORE: When a director found that locals were unsuitable administrators for his food company, he turned to an employment agency worker who helped him hire a maid for the job.

While designated as a foreign domestic worker in her work permit, the "maid" in reality worked as an administrative employee for the Singaporean director.

The employment agency worker, 42-year-old Filipina Villarosa Ma Lourdes Mananghaya, was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined S$2,500 (US$1,980) on Tuesday (Feb 10).

She pleaded guilty to one charge each of making a false statement in an application for a work pass and indirectly receiving a sum from a foreign employee for her agency's services that was higher than the prescribed fee for such services under the law, with another two charges taken into consideration.

The "maid", Filipina Bariquit Christie Ann Abapo, 31, was given three weeks' jail on Thursday (Feb 12).

The court heard that Villarosa worked at Icon Employment Consultancy, described online as providing "one-stop" human resources solutions.

Her co-accused, 50-year-old Singaporean Shehzad Shamsuddin Karimi, was the director of Prince Emporium, a company dealing in the trading of goods like biscuits and spice powders.

Shehzad approached Villarosa sometime in January 2024 seeking assistance to find workers for Prince Emporium, as he was "having difficulties with local part-time administrative staff who were unsuitable for his business operations".

Villarosa tried submitting two work pass applications to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on behalf of Prince Emporium, but they were rejected.

Shehzad then discussed with Villarosa whether it was possible to apply for a foreign domestic worker to work as an administrator for Prince Emporium instead.

Villarosa introduced Bariquit to Shehzad sometime in July 2024, intending to fulfil the objective of employing a maid as an administrative employee for the company.

The trio had discussions in a chat group about the administrative work that had to be done, with Bariquit aware that she would not be working as a maid.

Villarosa then submitted an application for a domestic worker's permit for Bariquit.

Without the knowledge or authorisation of Icon Employment, Villarosa signed a declaration form on Sep 2, 2024, for the application of a domestic helper containing a statement that Shehzad would employ Bariquit as a maid at his residence.

The period of deception per...