Singapore legislation
Section 57B
Section 57B
Assisting, encouraging or inducing giving of shelter to immigration offenders
(1)
Any person who, for or in expectation of any fee, gain or reward, assists, encourages or induces any other person to give shelter to any immigration offender shall, if the second-mentioned person gives shelter to the immigration offender in consequence of such assistance, encouragement or inducement, be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a presumptive minimum term of not less than 6 months and not more than 2 years and shall also be liable to a fine not exceeding $6,000.
(2)
In any proceedings for an offence under subsection (1), it is not a defence for the defendant to prove that the immigration offender was in possession of a permit or pass issued to the immigration offender under this Act or the regulations unless the defendant further proves that he or she had exercised due diligence to ascertain that the permit or pass was at the material time valid under this Act or the regulations.
(3)
For the purpose of subsection (2), a defendant who is charged with an offence under subsection (1) is not to be deemed to have exercised due diligence unless the defendant —
has inspected the permit or pass issued to the person harboured;
has checked the permit or pass to ascertain that the particulars on the passport of the person harboured materially correspond with the particulars set out in the permit or pass; and
has checked with —
the Controller of Immigration or the Controller of Work Passes (as the case may be) that the permit or pass was valid at the material time; or
the employer to verify that the person is employed by the employer and that the person’s particulars correspond with the employer’s records, where the name of the employer of the person harboured is specified in the permit or pass.
(4)
No prosecution for an offence under subsection (1) or for an attempt to commit that offence is to be instituted unless the person whom the defendant is alleged to have assisted, encouraged or induced in fact gave shelter to the immigration offender in consequence of such assistance, encouragement or inducement.
(5)
A reference to a permit or pass in subsection (3) in relation to a person is to be read as a reference to the original copy of the permit or pass issued to that person under this Act or the regulations.