SINGAPORE: Three MES Group companies and its directors were charged for various employment offences, which include illegal employment of foreigners and making false declarations of salaries, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday (Mar 18). 

The companies, Mini Environment Service, Labourtel Management Corporation and MES Logistics, as well as its directors, Chew Chain Loon, Fathimunnisa Mohamed Abdul Jaleel, Haja Nawaz, Parvis Ahmed Mohamed Ghouse and Mohamed Jinna Mohamed Abdul Jaleel were charged with 553 counts under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and the Employment Act. 

These include charges for false declaration of employment, false declaration of salaries, illegally employing foreigners without valid work passes and excessive overtime hours. 

MOM said it acted on a tip-off and mounted a special operation to probe allegations of illegal conduct at the MES Group of companies in 2019. 

The investigation showed that between November 2009 and May 22, 2019, Mini Environment Service allegedly deployed its workers to work for Labourtel and MES logistics without valid work passes. Mini Environment Service also allegedly made its employees work beyond the permitted overtime hours stipulated under the Employment Act between March and May 2019. 

The directors and companies were also charged for abetting and making false salary and employment declarations in the companies' work pass applications, said MOM.