Man arrested for bribing police officers

Man arrested for bribing police officers

SINGAPORE - Here's some money, please let me go.

A man tried that ruse with two police officers after he was caught trespassing recently.

Now, the 32-year-old - whose name and nationality is unknown - could also be charged with attempting to bribe police officers as well.

He was arrested at a construction site in the vicinity of Cactus Road, near Yio Chu Kang Road, early Sunday morning. Officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division were patrolling the vicinity at about 4.30am when they saw a woman loitering outside a construction site.

When the officers approached her, she said she was waiting for a friend who was in the site.

Shortly after, a man emerged from the construction site. He was unable to explain why he was there at that hour.

He was detained by the officers and taken to Ang Mo Kio North Neighbourhood Police Centre, where he was interviewed by Sergeant Ng Chee Yong and Corporal Jason Lee.

Unable to provide a satisfactory account of why he was in the construction site, the man offered a bribe - the amount for which is unknown - to Sgt Ng.

Sgt Ng rejected the offer, warning the subject that bribery was an offence.

But the man was undeterred. He then made a similar offer to Cpl Lee. This, too, was rejected.

The man was arrested for both wilful trespass and attempting to bribe police officers.

Ongoing investigations

Investigations against the suspect are ongoing, said the police in a statement released on Monday.

Any person convicted for the offence of wilful trespass under Section 21 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act may be fined up to $1,000.

The Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau is also investigating the suspect for attempting to bribe the police officers, added the statement.

When asked about the latter, lawyers told The New Paper such cases are "extremely rare". Lawyer Edmond Pereira, a former district judge and deputy public prosecutor, said: "This fellow is probably a foreigner who is probably not aware of the strict laws against corruption here."

"It's rare to hear of Singaporeans bribing police officers, especially in a police station!" Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Assistant Commissioner Keok Tong San, commended Sgt Ng and Cpl Lee for their integrity in rejecting the bribes, adding that their acts were "a testament to the high level of integrity in the Singapore Police Force".


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