Steering In The Wrong Direction
On 8 June 2017, one Yang Qiang (“Yang”), a Chinese national, was sentenced to three weeks’ imprisonment for attempting to bribe his way through his driving test.
2. Yang had been charged in Court on 25 May 2017 with one count of corruptly offering gratification to a Driving Tester as an inducement to let Yang pass the class 3 Driving Practical Test, an offence punishable under section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 241.
3. Investigations revealed that on 22 February 2017, at the Singapore Safety Driving Centre, Yang had attempted to hand $200 over to Noor Hafiz Bin Abdul Aziz (“Hafiz”), a Driving Tester employed by Automobile Association of Singapore and attached to the Traffic Police. The money was to induce the tester to let him pass the driving test. Hafiz did not accept the bribe and the matter was subsequently referred to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.
4. In Singapore, it is an offence to bribe, or attempt to offer a bribe. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years or to both.
5. Singapore adopts a zero tolerance approach towards corruption. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau takes a serious view of any corrupt practices and will not hesitate to take action against any party involved in such acts.
Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau