The New Paper - 14 June 2010
By Crystal Chan
Couples
involved in sham marriages
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(Photos: ICA) 
IN THE first case of its kind here, the Immigration and
Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is investigating a matchmaking agency
for brokering sham marriages between China women and local men.
Two ICA investigators, Deputy Officer Commanding (Dy OC) Tay
Siang Kwang and Senior Officer Lau Eng Choon, revealed details of
the case in an exclusive interview with The New Paper on
Sunday.
Dy OC Tay said the sister of a sham husband went to ICA in
January last year to clarify that he had not lost his NRIC.
He said: "She said she had kept his NRIC as he was of unsound
mind. So she was puzzled when ICA wrote to him to say that his
replacement NRIC was ready."
Smelling a rat, Dy OC Tay and Officer Lau swung into action.
They learnt that Huang Linjin, 30, a mainland Chinese woman, had
listed the man as her husband and sponsor for a long-term social
visit pass. It was coming up for renewal and his IC was needed for
that.
Registry of Marriages records showed Huang and the man had
solemnised their marriage in December 2008.
On a hunch that the marriage could be a sham, the investigators
began their probe. Dy OC Tay said of the middle-aged "husband":"
How could a mentally unsound man contract a marriage on his own?
When we met the man, he couldn't even talk coherently. Something
definitely was wrong."
Looking into Huang's application documents, they found a letter
from the man's purported employer, Neo Wee Seng.
The letter stated that the man was working for Neo's company and
his monthly salary was enough to support his "wife".