Hong Kong immigration authorities have foiled a crime syndicate that offered the services of unlawfully employed cleaners to a client network spanning about 50 restaurants.
The Immigration Department on Thursday said the syndicate, which operated as a cleaning company, had falsely claimed its staff could work legally at restaurants, with each cleaner receiving between HK$300 (US$38.35) and HK$500 per day.
In a three-day operation that wrapped up on Thursday, officers arrested the syndicate’s alleged ringleader and four other members, as well as eight employers and 20 suspected illegal workers in raids on four flats and 12 eateries.
Hong Kong immigration officials smash alleged cross-border sham wedding scheme
Hong Kong immigration officials smash alleged cross-border sham wedding scheme
Senior Immigration Officer Derek Siu Wai-wang, of the department’s special investigation branch, said the criminal group had operated for more than six months and charged restaurants HK$20,000 to HK$50,000 per contract.
“The syndicate’s ringleader controlled the cleaning company’s bank account behind the curtain and transferred the proceeds from the outsourcing contracts to other accounts, including his own and those of the downline group members, to pay the wages of illegal workers,” Siu said.
“Other downline group members were responsible for regularly going to restaurants to collect service fees from the outsourcing contracts and assigning work for illegal workers.”
The 20 suspected illegal workers comprised six men and 14 women aged 23 to 55. Two of the group held recognisance forms issued by the department that barred them from taking up any employment, he added. Most of the workers were Indonesian.
2 men arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly selling fake domestic helper contracts
2 men arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly selling fake domestic helper contracts
Siu said investigators had also seized a large quantity of documents, including bank withdrawal records and statements, as well as cleaning contracts. Officers had impounded five falsified identity documents, he added.
The senior immigration officer did not rule out further arrests as the investigation was still ongoing.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said the incident was due to a “severe workforce crunch” in the catering industry.
“The demand for entry-level workers, such as cleaners and dishwashers, has been intense for many years,” he said.
“For one thing, the working environment is relatively unpleasant. For another, the working hours are unstable.
“Many do not treat it as a long-term job. They’d rather work as a security guard.”
He noted the entire catering sector needed between 40,000 and 50,000 more people, with some 60 per cent of the vacancies coming from cleaning and dishwashing jobs.
Under the Immigration Ordinance, employing an illegal immigrant, a person subject to a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who has been refused entry will incur a maximum penalty of a HK$500,000 fine and 10 years in jail.
The management and relevant staff employing such individuals can also be held criminally liable.