A couple and a woman from the mainland were arrested last week for their alleged involvement in fake employment, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Cheong Heon Fan said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
The three suspects comprise a 29-year-old non-resident worker surnamed Qiu who illegally worked as a masseuse, a 54-year-old non-resident worker surnamed Pan who told the police that she works as a chef in a restaurant in Zape, and her 53-year-old local husband surnamed Chan who is the owner of the restaurant.
According to Cheong, Qiu went to the Immigration Department last Thursday to cancel her non-resident work permit. PSP officers discovered that she had left Macau many times during her employment which was inconsistent with her work as a chef in the restaurant. However, Qiu was unable to explain her frequent absences from her job. After repeated questioning, Qiu told the police that she got to know the couple last year and they agreed to assist Qiu in applying for a non-resident work permit as a chef so that she could stay in Macau. Qiu paid 55,000 yuan (69,300 patacas) to the couple at the end of last year for the non-resident work permit application. Qiu told the police that she didn’t work as a chef but instead looked for clients through an app to offer massages at private homes.
The police then told Pan and Chan to report to a police station based on Qiu’s information. Pan admitted that she falsely hired Qiu to work for the restaurant to get the 55,000 yuan to help pay the rent. Pan said that it was difficult to run the restaurant’s business and finally they had to close down the business so Qiu went to the Immigration Department to request cancellation of her work permit. Chan told the police that he had no knowledge of the case. However, PSP officers discovered that Chan had signed Qiu’s application, Cheong said.
The trio have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of involvement in fake employment, according to Cheong.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Wednesday shows PSP officers escorting the three suspects to a police station in Taipa.
