Skip to main content
Best News Website or Mobile Service
WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Best News Website or Mobile Service
Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Hamburger Menu

Advertisement

Advertisement

Singapore

Arrest warrant issued for man who failed to return to Singapore to face COVID-19-related charges

SINGAPORE: A man who was set to face charges of breaking COVID-19 regulations by meeting a woman twice during the "circuit breaker" period did not show up in court to be charged on Friday (Aug 14).

A warrant of arrest was issued for 25-year-old Chiew Chin Wooi after the Ministry of Health prosecutor told the court that Chiew had not returned to Singapore.

Prosecutor Andre Moses Tan said Chiew was not in court and asked for a warrant of arrest to be issued.

"We checked with (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority) this morning, and he has not returned to Singapore," he said, without specifying which country Chiew was currently in.

Chiew was set to receive seven charges under the Infectious Diseases Act and the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations.

These are: One count of leaving his home without reasonable excuse; two counts of not wearing his mask outside his home; and four counts of exposing others to the risk of infection when he knew or suspected he was a case, carrier or contact of an infectious disease.

Chiew was meant to be charged alongside his co-accused, 25-year-old Malaysian Mika She Yuan Wei, who received three charges on Friday of breaking COVID-19 regulations.

She is accused of allowing Chiew to enter her Punggol flat on two days during the circuit breaker, when all social gatherings were prohibited.

According to charge sheets, she allowed Chiew to enter her Edgedale Plains flat between 8.40am and 4.50pm on May 8, and between 9.35am and 4.40pm on May 9.

He allegedly studied and took online examinations at her flat on both occasions.

She is also accused of meeting a person named Ang Hui Shian on May 9 at Waterway Point mall to pass her a birthday gift. This is an offence under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act, as she allegedly met another individual not from her household for a social purpose.

She said through an interpreter that she wants to plead guilty and will not be hiring a defence lawyer.

She will return to court to plead guilty on Sep 24. For each count of breaking a COVID-19 regulation, she can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

Source: CNA/ll

Advertisement

Also worth reading

Advertisement