-- Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng
And that is with the assumption that the integrity of our institutions of justice and law enforcement is indeed sound and effective. But is it? Let's check...
Former MOM officer jailed six months for corruption
Source: TodayOnline.com
SINGAPORE - A former senior investigation officer with the Ministry of Manpower was sentenced to six months' jail yesterday for corruption.
Gordon Tan Hock Lye, 34, who pleaded guilty, was also ordered to pay a penalty of $1,000.
In January 2006, Tan told a female Chinese national who had been caught by the police for working at a massage parlour that he could help close the case for $3,000.
On Jan 23, 2006, he contacted Ms Wu Huixia and arranged to meet her at a coffee shop along Joo Chiat Road for the money.
Ms Wu said she only had $1,000. When the two met at the coffeeshop, Ms Wu passed Tan the cash. He kept the money and was arrested by Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) officers soon after.
Unknown to Tan, Ms Wu had approached the CPIB the previous day to lodge a complaint.
Yesterday, District Judge Jill Tan asked the prosecution why there was a delay in bringing the case to court.
The prosecution said investigations were ongoing all the time and cited Justice V K Rajah's comments that the CPIB had taken four to five years to complete investigations in an appeal case that was heard before him in June.
DJ Tan said later in her judgement: "Given that you (Tan) were caught red-handed, I'm unable to see why this case has taken so long to come to the court."
Tan had previously been charged with computer misuse for allegedly helping two Chinese masseuses modify the renewal of their special passes in 2005.
The court agreed to the prosecution's application for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for the two charges. It was not explained why this was agreed upon.
A former MOM senior investigation officer told a female Chinese national who had been caught by the police for working at a massage parlour that he could help close the case for $3,000. Enough said about his integrity as a member of our institutions of justice and law enforcement.
But hang on... the offense was committed in January 2006, yet the CPIB had taken four to five years to complete investigations on a man that is caught red-handed. That illustrates the efficiency of our institutions of justice and law enforcement. They certainly need to get better and betterer.
And here's the best part. This former MOM senior investigation officer is not new to breaking the law. He had previously been charged with computer misuse for allegedly helping two Chinese masseuses modify the renewal of their special passes in 2005. One may really wonder, how did someone with such record stayed on as a senior investigation officer?
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