A 67-year-old Singaporean man who hid a second wife and two children in Sarawak for nearly three decades was sentenced to one year and five months’ jail on Tuesday (Dec 2) after pleading guilty to bigamy.
Ng Teong Min, married in Singapore since 1980, secretly wed again in Sarawak in 1995 through a Chinese customary ceremony and fathered two more children — all while maintaining his first family in Singapore, who remained unaware until this year.
His deception spanned 30 years, ending only in August 2024 when a whistleblower emailed the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) exposing his double life.
How the Double Life Began
Prosecutor Jini Pillai told the court that Ng met his first wife when they were teenagers. They married in Singapore in 1980 and had two children.
Between 1985 and 1995, Ng travelled frequently to Sarawak for business, where he met another woman and began a relationship. He secured housing for her and lived with her whenever he was there.
She knew he was married, as per the report.
In 1995, at age 37, Ng married the second woman in a Chinese customary ceremony at her parents’ home.
“The union was formalised through a tea ceremony, at the close of which parties were deemed husband and wife in accordance with the traditional customs,” said the prosecutor.
Both parties agreed not to register the marriage, fearing Malaysian authorities would discover Ng’s existing marriage through checks with Singapore.
The couple later had two children. The second wife made statutory declarations about their customary marriage so the children could be issued Malaysian birth certificates.
First Wife Learns Truth After 30 Years
Ng’s first wife, now 66, only learned of the second family during investigations this year. She had continued to live with Ng whenever he was in Singapore, caring for their children and believing they had a stable marriage.
The prosecutor said the first wife now intends to dissolve the marriage and has already initiated proceedings.
Tears in Court
According to Channel News Asia, Ng, now a grandfather, broke down as he addressed the court, accepting responsibility for the “pain, confusion and harm” he caused.
“I have reflected deeply on the choice I made. I understand that I have broken the trust of my family and the law,” he said, adding that he hoped to “set a proper example” for his children and grandchildren.
Judge: Only One Saving Grace
The prosecution sought a sentence of 1.5 to 2 years’ jail, calling Ng’s conduct “prolonged, deliberate and deeply deceptive.”
Ms Pillai said Ng kept his first spouse “in the dark for three decades,” while maintaining a full marital life with another woman, adding that his conduct placed the offence “far in excess” of previous bigamy cases.
“His actions capitalised on the jurisdictional barrier to keep his first spouse insulated from his ceaseless betrayal,” she said, noting that Ng experienced both marriages “to their full extent,” having fathered children in each.
District Judge Eddy Tham said the “only saving grace” was that Ng did not deceive his second wife, who knew he was married during their relationship.
Ng could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined under the Women’s Charter, which makes it an offence to enter into a marriage “under any law, religion, custom or usage” while already lawfully married.
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