Foreign domestic worker, 51, illegally earned S$296,000 as part-time cleaner in S'pore for over 12 years, gets 16 weeks' jail

A foreign domestic worker in Singapore was sentenced to 16 weeks' jail and fined S$25,000 in court on Feb. 3 after she was found to have worked illegally as a part-time cleaner for over 12 years.

She will serve an additional five weeks' jail if she is unable to pay the fine.

The 51-year-old Filipino woman, Maya Clarina Santos Tagapan, earned about S$296,000 from illicit part-time cleaning for at least five households, CNA reported.

Maya pleaded guilty to one count of working as a self-employed foreigner without a valid work pass, and another count of breaching her work pass conditions by failing to reside at her registered location.

A third charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The case

According to CNA, Maya became acquainted with a Singaporean woman, 47-year-old Judy Gan, in 2007 while working part-time for her.

Maya was employed by another person at the time.

Three years later, Maya approached Gan to "sponsor" her employment, as her then-employer was leaving Singapore and she wished to remain in the country for work.

Gan agreed.

Under their agreement, Maya was to find her own accommodation and perform housework for Gan from 9am to 3pm on Sundays.

For the rest of the week, Maya would seek her own work as a part-time cleaner.

Gan also agreed to pay only Maya's foreign worker levy and not her declared salary — she would pay Maya S$300 for her monthly levy, but Maya would repay S$200 of this to her.

Maya was also paid S$90 for each Sunday she worked at Gan's home.

An application was subsequently made to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for Maya to be issued a work permit as Gan’s maid.

From November 2012 to March 2023, Maya worked as a part-time cleaner for at least five other households, at residences including Faber Condominium, Waterfront Isle Condominium and River Place Condominium.

Her duties included vacuuming, mopping floors, cleaning toilets, washing laundry and ironing clothes, and she earned about S$2,000 per month.

Between October 2010 and March 2023, Maya made an estimated total profit of S$296,000 while holding a work permit under Gan.

Her work permit required her to live with Gan at Jalan Redop, but this was later found to not be the case.

From 2021 to 2023, Maya stayed at several locations, including renting a bed space at Commonwealth Drive for S$400 a month.

In March 2023, MOM employment inspectors received information about a possible contravention of the law and launched an investigative probe into Maya.

Sentencing submissions

According to CNA, the MOM prosecutor sought 20 to 24 weeks' jail for Maya, along with a fine of between S$25,000 and S$26,000, citing the "exceedingly long period" of offending, which spanned about 12 years and four months.

She also referred to statements made by then-Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin during the second reading of the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Amendment) Bill in 2012, which aimed to strengthen enforcement against errant foreign workers.

Nee said Maya was “precisely the type of errant foreign employee” the amendments were meant to deter, adding that Maya had known from the beginning that she would be sourcing for illegal work while holding a valid work permit.

The offence was facilitated by Maya practising deception on the authorities, she added, with Maya initiating and orchestrating the scheme for her personal gain.

Nee also noted that Maya’s case involved a longer offending period and nearly double the profits compared to a previous similar case.

Gan has been charged for her role in this case, and her case is currently pending.

For being a self-employed foreigner without a valid work pass, Maya could have been jailed for a maximum of two years, fined up to S$20,000, or both.

For breaching her work pass conditions by failing to reside at her declared address, she could have been jailed for a maximum of one year, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

Top photos from Canva and Mothership