67yo Singaporean sentenced to 17 months’ jail for 30-year secret second marriage maintained in Sarawak

SINGAPORE: Ng Teong Min, aged 67, was sentenced to one year and five months’ jail on 2 December 2025 after pleading guilty to bigamy.

His conviction followed the exposure of a double life that began in 1995 and continued until August 2025.

According to local media report, the deception came to light when a whistleblower emailed the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, prompting an investigation.

According to court proceedings, Ng had been married to his first wife since 1980.

They met as adolescents and later had two children together.

Between 1985 and 1995, Ng travelled frequently to Sarawak for business.

During this period, he began a relationship with another woman who was aware of his existing marriage.

According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Jini Pillai, Ng arranged housing for the second woman in Sarawak and lived with her whenever he visited.

Second marriage

In 1995, at age 37, Ng entered into a customary Chinese marriage with the woman at her parents’ home in Sarawak.

The union was formalised through a tea ceremony, which both parties regarded as binding under traditional customs, according to the prosecution.

The couple chose not to register the marriage out of concern that Malaysian authorities might verify Ng’s marital status with Singapore.
They later had two children together.

Ng’s first wife remained unaware of the second family until investigations commenced this year.

During their marriage, she lived with Ng whenever he was in Singapore and oversaw the upbringing of their two children.

The court heard that she now intends to dissolve the marriage and has begun proceedings to do so.

The prosecution sought a sentence of between one-and-a-half and two years’ jail.

Ms Pillai emphasised the prolonged and deliberate nature of Ng’s deception, stating in written submissions that his first wife was kept uninformed for three decades.

She noted that Ng was able to “capitalise on the jurisdictional barrier” to conceal his conduct and that he experienced both marriages “to their full extent”.

In court, Ng shed tears and told the judge he accepted full responsibility for the harm caused.

He said he hoped to live the rest of his life with integrity and to be a better example to his children and grandchildren.

District Judge Eddy Tham said the “only saving grace” was that Ng had not similarly deceived his second wife.

Bigamy carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ jail and a fine.