Nguyen Thi Yen, in blue t-shirt, leaving the State Courts on Tuesday
Two Vietnamese women who were involved in arranging for a marriage of convenience between a Singaporean man and a Vietnamese woman were in court on Tuesday (12 Jan).
Nguyen Thi Yen and Le Thi Tra My are each facing one charge under the Immigration Act for their roles in arranging for a scam marriage between 48-year-old Tan Teck Heng and 34-year-old Nguyen Thi Tu.
If found guilty, both Thi Yen, 40, and Tra My, 29, could each be facing a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $10,000 or both.
Both Tan and his bride were found guilty under the Immigration Act and had been dealt with earlier.
To pay off debts
Tan, who took the stand on Tuesday as a prosecution witness, said that he was convinced by his nephew, Tan Eng Hua, to participate in the scam marriage.
The witness said that he needed money to pay off his debts and therefore agreed to his nephew’s suggestion.
When asked by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Prosecutor, Michelle Seet, about the debt, Tan revealed that he owed about $2,000 to his nephew back then.
Tan, who is currently working as a dishwasher, told the court that he met Thi Yen, Tra My and Thi Tu along with his nephew at a coffeeshop in Ang Mo Kio in January 2013. It was there that the topic of marriage was discussed.
He said that he was aware all along that it was a marriage of convenience and he never had any feelings for his Vietnamese bride.
In fact, he knew that the arrangement allowed Thi Tu to continue working as a karaoke hostess and at the same time ensured him of a monthly payout of about $400.
“My nephew asked me to get involved in the scam and I will get some money out of it. I was not keen at first and decided to think about it.
“Two weeks later, I agreed to my nephew’s suggestion and decided to take up his offer,” he said.
Supposed to bring wife to ICA monthly
Tan and Thi Tu registered their marriage on 18 March 2013 and held a lunch reception at a restaurant located at Peninsula Plaza on the very same day.
He said that as part of the deal he had to bring Thi Tu to ICA every month to get her passport stamped and renew her visa.
“However, I only managed to do it twice before I got arrested by the authority in June 2013 and was subsequently jailed,” he added.
Zaminder Singh Gill, who is representing Thi Yen, questioned Tan about the payment he was supposed to receive from his nephew.
Tan said that he saw an unidentified man passing money to his nephew on his wedding day and added that he received $350 on that day. He added that his nephew told him that the unidentified man handed over about $2,000 on that day.
Tan admitted that he received a total of $1,150, in three separate payments and added that he did not know about the rest of the money his nephew received from the unidentified man.
The trial, scheduled for seven days, will resume on Wednesday morning.