Woman sends 7 domestic workers to M'sia from S'pore for S$500 per person, claims she wants to 'help others'

Kaleeswari initially claimed trial for offences under the Employment Agencies Act and Employment of Foreign Manpower Act but pleaded guilty on the first day of trial.

According to a judgment made publicly available on Dec. 22, 2023, Kaleeswari held an employment agency license from May 6, 2011, to Feb. 28, 2013.

However, despite no longer having a licence, she continued to perform employment agency work, assisting in placing four foreigners as FDWs from 2016 to 2017.

People she helped include an ex-colleague she met while working at the Singapore Armed Forces from 1998 to 2004 and a person introduced by her sister.

She not only help them make the appropriate applications with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), but also help bring the FDWs to medical check-ups and their Settling-In Programme (SIP).

Kaleeswari received "agency fees" ranging from S$430 to S$1,330.

Sent 7 domestic workers to M'sia

Besides illegally assisting people to hire FDWs in Singapore, Kaleeswari also helped a woman named "Aishah" send FDWs to work in Malaysia.

To do so, she used her ex-colleague's Singpass account, which she used previously.

Kaleeswari would first apply online for the FDWs to work in Singapore.

When these FDWs arrive in Singapore with an In-Principle Approval (IPA), Kaleeswari would then send them to Aishah, who would bring them to Malaysia.

Thereafter, she would cancel their IPA.

Kaleeswari did not know what would happen to the FDWs but was paid a sum of S$500 for each FDW she handed over to Aishah.

She applied for 10 FDWs to enter Singapore, and eventually, seven of them were sent to Malaysia without being employed in Singapore.

Aishah remains unidentified.

Claims she was just 'helping others'

After pleading guilty to her offences, it was revealed that Kaleeswari suffers from Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD).

To determine whether the mental condition contributed to her committing the offences, an ancillary hearing was held before the prosecution and defence argued on the sentences for her offences.

During the hearing, Kaleeswari testified that she knew what she was doing was illegal but thought she was "helping others".

She explained that she "only earned around a few hundred dollars" for each person she assisted in procuring.

Kaleeswari claimed that, in comparison, the "market rate profit" was in the range of S$1,500 to S$2,000.

She also said that "by helping others, she derived a sense of happiness", further explaining that the desire to help others stems from her poor childhood.

'Altruism' is a 'personality trait', not mental condition: Judge

However, the judge did not find that Kaleeswari's PDD contributed to her committing the offences.

He pointed out that there was no evidence that the condition affected her capacity to exercise self-control and restraint or diminished her ability to appreciate the nature and wrongfulness of her conduct.

While a psychiatrist had opined that Kaleeswari has "pathological altruism", the judge said it's a "personality trait", not medically associated with any mental disorder, and does not form part of the diagnostic criteria for PDD.

On sentencing Kaleeswari, the judge agreed with the prosecution that she had "brazenly" engaged in the conduct for a considerable period and "used her knowledge of the work pass system to obtain illicit gain".

Even though he found that her PDD condition did not cause or contribute to her committing the offences, he gave her a slightly lighter sentence on considering her guilty plea and that she has to continue living with and coping with the condition.

Kaleeswari filed an appeal against her sentence.