Former SAF medic jailed for corruption

A former Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) medic was yesterday jailed for 12 weeks for accepting money from detainees in an army detention barracks to let them use his mobile phone.

Chai Yit Hoong, 25, had been posted at the barracks, where detainees are banned from using mobile phones.

He was also not allowed to extend favours to them.

He pleaded guilty to six charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and seven others were taken into consideration.

The offences took place between February and April 2012.

One of the detainees, Sarvenan Sundramutthy, wanted to contact his family and asked Chai if he could use his mobile phone.

Chai did not agree initially, as he was afraid of being caught, but relented when Sarvenan offered him $100.

Sarvenan then told Chai to contact his girlfriend, who would transfer the money to him.

SMUGGLED IN PHONE

Chai let Sarvenan use his phone on a few more occasions.

In March 2012, he met Sarvenan's girlfriend at an MRT station to collect a mobile phone to pass to him.

Chai would pass the phone to Sarvenan during his rounds at night, then collect it from him early the next morning.

He also lent his phone to seven other detainees, typically in exchange for $50 each time. He also smuggled in a mobile phone and snacks.

Chai, who was not represented in court, said that he regretted his actions and had learnt his lesson.

District Judge Victor Yeo ordered him to pay a penalty of $750, the amount he had taken.

For corruption, he could have been jailed up to five years and fined up to $100,000.

This article was first published on Mar 11, 2015.
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