Workers' Party's James Gomez being investigated for alleged criminal intimidation offence

Former candidate for Aljunied GRC stopped from leaving Singapore; passport impounded

By Ahmad Osman
May 8, 2006
AsiaOne Special Political Correspondent

Singapore police are investigating a complaint by the Elections Department alleging that Mr James Gomez, an opposition candidate in the polls on May 6, committed two offences.

The department claimed he committed criminal intimidation and also provided false information, a police spokesman said in a statement today (May 8) in response to queries from the press.

No arrest has been made and no person has been detained in police custody because of the probe, the spokesman said, alluding to some reports that Mr Gomez had been arrested.

He added: “Police are in the process of reviewing the evidence and interviewing all relevant persons.”

Mr Gomez was among five Workers’ Party (WP) candidates who fought the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in the hotly-contested Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the general election held last Saturday (May 6).

The WP team, headed by party chairman and law lecturer, Ms Sylvia Lim, managed to secure 44 per cent of the votes. This was a credible showing for an Opposition team but not enough to dislodge its PAP competitor which was led by Foreign Minister George Yeo.

The spotlight was directed at Mr Gomez at the hustings after an incident at the Elections Department over a minority candidate form.

He claimed that he submitted the form on April 24 but when he went to collect the certificate, the department said that it did not have his application. He waved his finger at the officials and was seen saying: "You know what's the implication? Something must happen. When will you call me?"

Subsequently, when the department reviewed a recording by its closed circuit camera, it showed Mr Gomez putting the form in his briefcase and walking away with it. It released this recording to the media.

Mr Gomez later apologised, saying he was “distracted”.

But PAP leaders said the apology was inadequate and pressed the WP to drop him from its slate of candidates.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Mr Wong Kan Seng issued a statement detailing how Mr Gomez “stage-managed” the incident to damage t he government and discredit the department.

Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew called Mr Gomez a liar and challenged the WP man and the party’s leaders to sue him if that was untrue.

The police statement today confirmed that the police interviewed several people, including department officials, Mr Gomez and Ms Lim.

Mr Gomez was approached on Sunday as he was about to leave Changi Airport to return to his job in Sweden as a policy analyst at the Idea International think-tank based at Stockholm.

Police officers requested him to follow them back to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to help them in their investiga tion.

He agreed and was questioned at the CID for eight hours. He said he gave the police a “full and comprehensive outline of what had transpired”.

He also said this morning that his passport “has been seized and impounded indefinitely”.

Today is the last day of his leave from work. He is waiting, he said, for a letter from the police to explain the situation to his employer.

He will, he added, continue to extend his full co-operation to the investigation by the police.

» Read the police statement on the Elections Department complaint against James Gomez