ICA Officer Sentenced for Corruption, Official Secrets Act Offences and Obstruction of Justice

It is illegal for public officers to abuse their position to solicit corrupt benefits, such as sex, in exchange for favours.

2. On 2 January 2019, one Chin Peng Sum (钱炳森), a Staff Sergeant with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Official Secrets Act and the Penal Code.

3. ICA had reported Chin to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) following its internal checks and investigations. Subsequent investigations by the CPIB revealed that Chin had come into contact with three female Chinese nationals, Zhu Shirong (“Zhu”), Wang Chenghong (“Wang”) and Tang Yuanyuan (“Tang”) during the course of his work from 2016 to 2017. The three had been arrested for various immigration offences and were on Special Passes pending the conclusion of their cases. In the course of Chin’s interactions with them, he had told them that he was in the position to recommend the extension of their Special Passes to allow them to remain in Singapore.

4. In 2017, Chin had approached Zhu and Wang for sexual services, believing that they would give him a discount as he had told them he was in a position to recommend the extension of their Special Passes. Both women subsequently provided sexual services to Chin for free. For these actions, Chin was charged with corruptly accepting sexual gratification from Zhu and Wang, as an inducement to recommend the extension of their Special Pass, an offence punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 241.

5. Separately, Chin had also communicated information about impending enforcement raids to Wang, Zhu and Tang so they could avoid the said raids. As a result, they successfully avoided the raids and evaded apprehension. For this, Chin was charged with communicating information he was not authorized to communicate to Wang, Zhu and Tang, which constituted offences under Section 5(1)(e) read with Section 5(1)(i) of the Official Secrets Act, Chapter 213, punishable under Section 17(2) of the said Act. He was also charged with intentionally obstructing the course of justice, by communicating information about these raids to them in order to prevent their apprehension for vice-related and/or immigration offences, which constituted offences under Section 204A of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, 2008 Revised Edition.

6. Zhu was subsequently arrested by the Police for vice activities, and the Police uncovered messages from Chin to Zhu about impending raids and requests for her services. Chin then contacted Wang and instructed her to delete incriminatory messages between them about the raids and request for her services, which Wang did. As such, Chin was charged with abetment by instigating Wang to obstruct the course of justice, an offence punishable under Section 204A r/w Section 109 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, 2008 Revised Edition. Chin also deleted such incriminating messages between himself and Zhu, Wang and Tang on his work issued phone. In doing so, Chin had intentionally obstructed the course of justice, an offence punishable under Section 204A of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, 2008 Revised Edition.

7. The CPIB takes a serious view against corruption and any other criminal activities especially those taken to obstruct the course of justice. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to 5 years or to both.

8. The CPIB looks into all corruption complaints, including anonymous ones, and can be reached via the following channels:

a) Visit or write to us at the CPIB Headquarters @ 2 Lengkok Bahru, S159047 or Corruption Reporting & Heritage Centre @ 247 Whitley Road S297830;
b) Call the Duty Officer at 1800-376-0000;
c) Lodge an e-Complaint; or
d) Email us at report@cpib.gov.sg

Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau