Two Indian nationals, who have been convicted for submitting false educational qualifications in their work pass applications on Tuesday (27 July), were said to have paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates to earn higher salaries in Singapore.

It was reported earlier that the two Indian nationals, Bailwal Sunil Dutt and Sutradhar Bijoy, have been sentenced to one week and four weeks imprisonment respectively.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that their work passes have been revoked and that they have been permanently barred from working in Singapore.

According to court documents, Dutt stated in his S Pass application that he had a bachelor’s degree in arts from Manav Bharti University (MBU).

He applied for the work pass in December last year to work as a cook at the restaurant Al Capone’s.

The second Indian national, Bijoy, had also made a similar declaration in his S Pass application in 2015 to work as an assistant warehouse manager at Lye M S Trading.

He made the false declaration for the second time in a renewal application late last year, to continue working as an assistant warehouse manager.

One of the Indian nationals was paid monthly salaries of between S$2,600 and S$3,000

CNA reported that Bijoy’s monthly salaries ranged between S$2,600 and S$3,000 while working in Singapore.

According to MOM’s website, S Pass employees earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$2,500. The applicants must have a degree or diploma qualification and relevant work experience to be qualified for the work pass.

However, an employer that TOC spoke to shared that the applicants would have to be paid higher than the stated figure in order for their application to be approved by MOM.

Both Indian nationals bought forged certificates at about S$330 and S$730 respectively

It was said that Bijoy had obtained a forged MBU degree certificate through an agent for 40,000 rupees (about S$730) to earn a higher salary in Singapore.

He received a degree certificate dated 28 September 2008 along with academic transcripts in late 2014, which indicated he had attended MBU between 2006 and 2008. Bijoy then used it to apply for a job in Singapore.

Dutt, on the other hand, had initially enrolled in Hemwati Nandan Bhaguna University but dropped out due to financial difficulties.

Between 2011 and 2013, Dutt paid 3,000 rupees (about S$55) every six months to an acquaintance – who is believed to be a staff member at MBU – to obtain a degree qualification from MBU without needing to attend classes.

In total, he had paid 18,000 rupees (about S$330) in the span of three years.

It was noted that Dutt received a degree certificate sometime in 2013, along with various academic transcripts.

MOM said another Indian national work pass holder has been charged for the same offence

Another Indian national work pass holder, Bhandare Raghavendra, has also been charged for the same offence and is due to appear in court on 5 August.

According to the man’s resume uploaded on his Linkedin profile, he was hired as a technician in 2015 and had obtained his Bachelor of Science from MBU in 2012.

MOM stated that the three men were among 23 foreigners it investigated.

The Ministry announced earlier in February that it was investigating 15 work pass holders who declared qualifications from MBU in their work pass applications.

This comes after reports emerged about how the private university had sold 36,000 fake degrees across 17 states in over 11 years and that a number of its graduates are working in Singapore.

Of the remaining 20 individuals that MOM investigated, 19 have also been permanently barred from future employment in Singapore while further investigation is underway for one person.

MOM asserted that it will continue to revoke the work passes of foreign employees found to have submitted forged documents in their work pass applications. They will also be permanently barred from working in Singapore.

Offenders may also be prosecuted under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. If found guilty, they face a fine of up to S$20,000, a jail term of up to two years, or both.

MOM reiterated in its statement on Tuesday that employers have the “primary responsibility to ensure the authenticity and quality of the academic qualifications of the candidates they wish to hire”.

While MOM continues to conduct risk-based checks on qualifications submitted for work pass applications, a spokesperson from the Ministry said that “it is difficult to detect institutions such as Manav Bharti University which are approved by the foreign government’s authorities and issuing genuine degrees while selling fakes”.

“Nevertheless, MOM regularly reviews and strengthens measures to maintain the integrity of our work pass framework,” the spokesman added, noting that firm action will be taken against offenders.

MOM had earlier said that it verifies the authenticity of submitted qualifications directly through the issuing institutions or third-party screening agencies.

“In addition, MOM receives and acts on reports from employers who discover that they have been misled after the work pass holder has arrived.” the Ministry added.

In the past five years, MOM said that it has detected and permanently barred an average of 660 foreigners a year from working in Singapore for submitting fake educational qualifications in work pass applications.

In the same period, an average of eight foreigners a year were prosecuted for such offences.

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