Pub-owner involved in bribing ex-ICA officer gets reduced jail sentence
A man in handcuffs. Reuters file photo
SINGAPORE — A pub-owner’s jail sentence for corruption was cut from eight months to three months on appeal, after a High Court agreed that he had been approached to take advantage of an existing arrangement, rather than hatched the scheme himself.
Andrew Song Meng Choon had paid bribes — some of which went to a then-Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer — so that Filipino women who came here on a social visit pass but worked as hostesses in his River Valley Road pub could stay in Singapore for a longer duration.
In reducing Song’s punishment, High Court judge Chan Seng Onn said there were several mitigating factors in the case, such as the amount of bribes given and his willingness to cooperate with investigators.
Song would give bribes to a middleman Philibert Tng Hai Swee, who would in turn pay ICA officers to process a “U-turn” for the Filipino hostesses. A “U-turn” refers to when a foreigner leaves Singapore for a nearby country and re-enters within the same day or a short time later to get a fresh social visit pass.
On five occasions in 2011, Song handed over sums amounting to S$2,800 to Tng. Part of the money was given to former ICA officer Mohammed Mustaffa Mohabat Ali, who would help the foreigners do a “U-turn”.
Tng was the one who had made the illicit proposal to Song about arranging for these “U-turns”. Tng has died while Mustaffa was jailed 21 months and ordered to pay a penalty of S$8,050.
In arguing the appeal, lawyer Calvin Liang said the district judge had miscalculated his client’s culpability since Tng and Mohammed Mustaffa were those who had hatched the plan. The risk that Song posed to Singapore’s security was also wrongly judged, the lawyer added.
Agreeing, Justice Chan said Song “had been approached to take advantage of an existing arrangement” and added that the security risk that Song posed was “overstated”.
“ICA officers who are bribed to let in wanted felons or potential terrorists pose a higher (security threat to the state) than (those) bribed to let in Filipino females who work as hostesses,” the judge said.
Justice Chan also noted that the total value of bribes is relatively low compared to precedent cases.
In deciding the appropriate sentence for Song, Justice Chan said a fine would be “inadequate”, given that Song was aware that the money would end up in a public servant’s hands.
But the punishment that had been meted out to him was “manifestly excessive”, he added.
The new imprisonment term “appropriately reflects the need for deterrence in cases where public confidence in (government institutions) is compromised”, said Justice Chan.
