DH used expired work contract to obtain $20k loan, court told

 

The accused was arrested when she went to Immigration to renew her employment contract

A Filipina domestic helper was denied bail when she appeared in Eastern Court yesterday, Monday, charged with fraud after allegedly securing a $20,000 loan by submitting an expired employment contract.

Mariel E. Antenor, 32 years old, faces one charge of obtaining pecuniary (monetary) advantage by deception.

Her lawyer said Antenor was offering a $100 bail for her temporary release apart from surrendering her passport and reporting regularly to the police, but the prosecution opposed the motion, and was upheld by Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui.

TAWAG NA!

However, the magistrate set another hearing on May 28 to review the bail application, and adjourned the case to June 17.

According to the charge, Antenor obtained a $20,000 loan from Prime Credit on Sept. 14, 2022, using her invalid work contract to support her loan application which she submitted to the finance company’s office in Eurotrade Centre in Central.

The alleged act is contrary to sec 18 of the Theft Ordinance, and is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

In court, the prosecution said that the defendant was arrested when she went to Immigration Ordinance to renew her employment contract which expired on Apr 27 this year. That meant that she was already working with another employer when she obtained the loan using her old contract.

According to the defence lawyer, Antenor said she did not know that it was an offence to use an expired employment contract to support a loan application. She also said she had already repaid the loan in full.

In turn, the prosecution said Antenor had claimed she had been signed up by a new employer, but failed to produce a copy of her new contract.

Magistrate Chui ordered the prosecution to ascertain Antenor’s immigration status and report on their findings at the next hearing.

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