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SINGAPORE: Twelve Cupcakes founder Daniel Ong was indicted in court on Tuesday (December 29) with violating labor laws, in the latest in legal trouble for the homegrown bakery chain.
Ong, 45, received 24 counts under the Foreign Labor Employment Act for crimes allegedly committed while in command of the muffin chain.
He is accused of violating the conditions of the work pass, even paying less to foreign employees.
Former radio DJ Ong married Miss Singapore Universe 2001 to Jaime Teo in 2007, and they both founded Twelve Cupcakes in 2011. They divorced in 2016 and sold the company a few months later to India-based Dhunseri Group, which grew the brand to 35 outlets in Singapore today.
Teo will also be charged later on Tuesday.
Twelve Cupcakes, under his new ownership, pleaded guilty earlier this month to paying less than S $ 114,000 to seven employees over two years between December 2016 and November 2018.
LEE: Twelve Cupcakes pleads guilty to paying less to foreign employees, the prosecution seeks a fine of 127,000 Singapore dollars
As a mitigation, the lawyer for the new owners said they had continued the practice that was installed by the previous management, by stating on paper a higher wage than the workers actually received.
The prosecution is seeking a fine of S $ 127,000 for Twelve Cupcakes on 15 charges, and 14 other charges will be considered. Sentencing for the signature was postponed until January.
If found guilty of violating the conditions of the work pass, Ong and Teo could be jailed for up to one year, fined up to S $ 10,000, or both per charge.
