Gomez detained by police for questioning

Probe follows complaint by Elections Department

By ARTHUR SIM
May 8, 2006
The Business Times

(SINGAPORE) Defeated Workers' Party parliamentary candidate James Gomez was taken in for police questioning yesterday afternoon after the Elections Department filed a complaint against him.

Mr Gomez, who contested with WP chairman Sylvia Lim unsuccessfully in Aljunied GRC, was stopped at Changi Airport as he was about to board a flight to Sweden where he works.

A police spokesman said: 'The police have received a complaint against James Gomez from the Elections Department. The police are investigating.'

The police did not reveal details but Mr Gomez's friend, Jacob George, said the WP second assistant secretary-general had told him that the investigation related to a complaint of 'criminal intimidation'. Mr George, who described himself as an 'activist', said that he was not with Mr Gomez at the time but understood that Mr Gomez's passport and boarding pass were also taken from him.

Ms Lim was seen entering the police headquarters at around 8 pm and left at about 11 pm.

She said that she was called as a witness to give a statement to a case, but did not say what the case was about.

Mr Gomez had earlier said that Ms Lim was at the Elections Department with him on April 24 when he was supposed to have submitted the application form for a minority candidate certificate.

Two days later, he returned to the department to collect the certificate, leading to an exchange during which Mr Gomez was seen wagging his finger and saying: 'You know what's the implication? Something must happen. When will you call me?'

Mr Gomez later apologised after the department released video footage showing that he had not submitted the applica tion.

People's Action Party leaders later accused Mr Gomez of trying to discredit the Elections Department by claiming its staff had misplaced his form.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng had charged that Mr Gomez stage-managed the entire episode.

Yesterday, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that whether other WP members connived at Mr Gomez's doings was a matter still to be determined.

When asked to comment, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that he was not aware of what had happened since the Elections Department filed a police report against Mr Gomez.

PM Lee, who was speaking yesterday during his victory parade in Ang Mo Kio, added that the matter was now in the hands of police.