An Indonesian maid was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for
making false statements to officers from the Ministry of
Manpower.
Ratih Puspita Sari pleaded guilty in court to lying on two
occasions in November last year.
She had told the MOM officer that she was moonlighting as a
dishwasher at a hawker stall in Jalan Bukit Merah for about $10 for
a few hours' work.
The 32-year-old revealed she wanted to earn extra income and
that she was unhappy with her current employer and wished to
transfer to another.
In asking for a custodial sentence, the prosecution told the
court that besides wasting valuable resources to investigate a
non-existent case, Ratih had shown no remorse by repeating her lies
to the authorities.
The Prosecution added that the mother of three had "maliciously
framed the alleged illegal employer" just to get a transfer to
another employer.
While fabricating facts is a serious offence, "to frame someone
in the process of doing so is a vicious act on the part of the
accused" said the prosecution.
For committing the offences under the Employment of Foreign
Manpower Act, Ratih could have been jailed up to 12 months or fined
up to $15,000 or both.
--938Live