SINGAPORE: A woman who represented herself as a freelance travel agent offering cheap air tickets was on Thursday (May 3) sentenced to 23 months’ jail.
Rohani Harun, 65, had also failed to fulfil some transactions after collecting payment from customers.
AdvertisementRohani was convicted on four charges – three for contravening the Travel Agents Act for operating without a valid licence and one for criminal breach of trust involving payments amounting to S$47,940. Eight other charges were taken into consideration in sentencing.
The offences took place between September 2014 and January 2016.
“Despite facing financial difficulties, Rohani continued to take on consumer transactions without fulfilling them,” said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in a media advisory on Thursday.
It added that at least seven affected customers had lodged police reports and complaints with STB.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to court documents, Rohani had offered to sell round-trip air tickets for flights on Singapore Airlines for Singapore to London and Singapore to South Africa, among others.
“STB takes a serious view against those who engage in unlicensed travel agent activities and will not hesitate to take actions to protect consumers’ interests and uphold the reputation of Singapore’s tourism sector,” said the tourism authority.
It also urged members of the public to exercise due diligence when making travel arrangements and refer to the latest list of licensed travel agents in Singapore.
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