Prison officer who allegedly tried to get bribes from inmate charged with corruption
An exterior shot of Changi Prison, where the suspect had worked as a senior chief warder. Photo: Singapore Prison Service
SINGAPORE — A prison officer was charged on Thursday (July 6) with eight counts of corruption for allegedly trying to obtain bribes amounting to S$81,000 in loans and cash from an inmate.
The court heard that 50-year-old Kobi Krishna Ayavoo, a senior chief warder at Changi Prison, had allegedly solicited the bribes from Chong Ken Chye in exchange for “facilitating” his request to transfer out of Changi Prison Cluster A1.
Kobi had tried to obtain the money – up to S$70,000 in loans and S$10,000 in cash – between September 2015 and March 2016.
If found guilty, Kobi, who will appear in court again on Aug 3, could receive a maximum jail term of five years and/or a fine not exceeding S$100,000 per charge.
In a statement to the media, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau stressed that Singapore “adopts a zero tolerance approach towards corruption” and will not hesitate to take action against those involved in such acts.
