 |
| Marijane Biscocho and Lennis Ibrahim got jail terms of 28 ang 30 months, respectively. |
A Filipina domestic helper and an Indonesian job recruiter were sentenced today to 28 and 30 months in prison, respectively, for 21 charges that included collecting placement fees for non-existent jobs in Hong Kong and Macau and money laundering.
Marijane Biscocho, 44, and Lennis Ibrahim, 57, were declared guilty on
all counts by District Court Judge Kathie Cheung in the previous hearing on
Sept. 16.
The case arose from complaints by Filipino domestic helpers that they were tricked into paying an unlicensed recruitment firm, WHT Consulting Company in Kwun Tong, Kowloon, for non-existent jobs for family and friends back home, as waiter and factory worker in Hong Kong and Macau.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
They were initially charged by the Customs and Excise Department with violation of Trade Description Ordinance.
In a statement, Customs said this is the first unfair trade practice case involving the employment agency industry since the TDO was amended in July 2013.
"This is also the first time that an offender of unfair trade practice has been prosecuted for money laundering at the same time," it added.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
Judge Kathie Cheung sentenced Biscocho to varying prison
sentences for three categories of offenses:
• 18 months’ imprisonment for 14 counts of engaging in a
commercial practice that constitutes wrongly accepting payment for a product, 2
counts of applying a false trade description to a service supplied or offered
to be supplied to a consumer, and one count of wrongly accepting payment where
she was jointly-charged with Ibrahim.
 |
| Pindutin para sa detalye |
• 3 months for breach of condition of stay, having worked
for Ibrahim while she was holding a domestic helper’s visa, and working as such
for an employer for 15 years.
• 28 months imprisonment for 2 counts of dealing with
property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence, or
money laundering.
 |
| Press for details |
Since these sentences would run concurrently, Biscocho’s
total sentence is 28 months.
Ibrahim, who owned both companies, was handed a 30-month
imprisonment for money laundering and 12 months for wrongly accepting payment,
which would run concurrently.
In addition, she was ordered to pay back $6,000 to one of
the victims, from whom she received the amount as illegal payment.
Judge Cheung explained that Ibrahim received a longer
sentence because it was she “who was responsible for the management of WHT and
Remy and it was she who approached the first defendant to get her involved in
the scam.”
 |
| BASAHIN ANG DETALYE |
She added: “It is clear the second defendant played a
leading role in the scam and she was the major beneficiary of the scam in terms
of the amount of money that was passed to her for her disposal.”
Judge Cheung noted that all the victims were Filipino
domestic helpers who paid $6,000 to $9,000, and “the loss suffered by each
victim ranges from slightly about 1.5 months’ to almost 5 months’ hard earned
salary, which in any sense is a huge sum to each of them. “
She added: “There is evidence that some victims took out a
loan to pay for the fees or was under pressure and tense relationship with
their respective relative due to the unsuccessful applications and loss of the
monies. I consider the facts are serious
despite on the face of it the amount involved is not huge.”
 | ||
PADALA NA!
|
