Company and director prosecuted over poorly maintained dorms found with cockroaches in Jurong
SINGAPORE — A company and its director are the first to be prosecuted under a law on foreign worker dormitories after they were found to be operating poorly maintained dormitories with cockroaches in Jurong.
The prosecution came after an inspection of four dormitories managed by Labourtel Management Corporation - Jurong Penjuru Dormitory 1 and 2, Blue Stars Dormitory and The Leo, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a media release on Thursday (4 July).
“The living conditions in the purpose built dormitories were also filthy and unacceptable, such as cockroaches found in the rooms,” according to MOM. There were also missing or damaged light fixtures, faulty shower taps and corroded railings and staircases, it added.
Labourtel and its director Parvis Ahamed s/o Mohamed Ghouse, a 42-year-old Singaporean, face 10 and six charges, respectively, under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act 2015 (FEDA) for failing to comply with the licensing conditions between November 2017 and January 2019.
An offender can be fined up to $50,000, or jailed a maximum 12 months, or both, for each violation of the licensing condition.
Among the conditions, a licensee of a dormitory must maintain its tidiness and cleanliness and ensure that the access points to and from the dormitory are free of any obstruction. The licensee must also ensure that the interior and exterior of all buildings are in good repair and condition.
The cases against Labourtel and Parvis will be heard again on 1 August.
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