A 29-year-old student as sentenced to four weeks' jail on Friday, May 30, after she pleaded guilty to offering bribe of least $50 to an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer.
This comes after the Singapore-based foreign student was caught with contraband cigarettes at the Woodlands Checkpoint and tried to get off the hook by offering a bribe to the ICA officer.
The officer did not take the money that Chinese national Sun Song had offered her, and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was informed following the incident.
She has since paid a $650 fine for failing to declare the smokes she disposed of.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei, Sun had traveled from Malaysia and was in a private-hire vehicle at the Woodlands Checkpoint when two ICA officers halted it for a regular search at 6.40pm on November 23, 2024.
Sun was sitting in the rear passenger seat when one of the officers, Sergeant (2) Nurliana Mohamad Sufian, noticed a white plastic bag with smokes near her.
Sun did not respond verbally when asked if she had anything to declare, so ICA officers directed the driver to the side of the road.
Sun slipped the white plastic bag into the car boot via the passenger seats.
Sgt Nurliana requested that the car boot be opened, and she discovered that the plastic bag contained ten packets of cigarettes.
When questioned, the driver denied having these things, according to court records.
Sgt Nurliana then turned her attention to Sun, who begged "please" and "help me" in English while rubbing her palms together.
DPP Tan said, as quoted by The Straits Times, "The accused then said 'I give you money', took out not less than $50 in cash from her purse and proffered it to Sgt Nurliana. The accused did this as she was worried about being arrested and wanted Sgt Nurliana to let her off."
"The driver immediately grabbed the accused's arm upon seeing this. Sgt Nurliana also warned the accused that she had a body-worn camera (and) the accused did not persist," Tan added.
The ICA reported the incident to the police at 7 p.m. that day, and the case was later submitted to the CPIB, who arrested Sun on December 10, 2024.
Pleading for leniency, defense lawyer Foo Ho Chew told the court that his client is remorseful, adding: "While the form of gratification offered is of low value, a mere $50 in cash, she now realizes the significance and severity of her actions."
Foo also said that Sun had cooperated with the authorities during their investigation into the case.
