Down on her luck, a Singaporean divorcee thought she had struck gold when she met a China national in a restaurant who could have been her saviour.
Mdm Tan, a 50 year-old divorcee who has a son, had nowhere to live after her divorce.
Then, she met a China national while dining at a Sichuan restaurant in Geylang.
Describing herself as “old and ugly”, Mdm Tan complained that no man would want her and she would have difficulty applying for a rental flat.
That’s when the China national, Ms Zhao, made her an offer – marry my brother and you’ll get free lodging and a big ang bao of up to S$3000.
Ms Zhao said that her brother wanted to find a job and the purpose of getting married was to smoothen the process of him getting approval for a visa.
Mdm Tan accepted.
While preparations were being made, Mdm Tan stayed at the home of a relative of Ms Zhao.
Mdm Tan and Ms Zhao’s brother subsequently registered their marriage on 6 February 2014.
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After the sham marriage, Mdm Tan and her son stayed at a room in Geylang Lorong 19 while Ms Zhao’s brother stayed with her relatives.
Within 4 months, Mdm Tan and her “husband” got divorced.
Ms Zhao has since been jailed for 8 months for her role in arranging the sham marriage.
She is appealing the sentence.

