Woman jailed for offering $50 bribe to ICA officer after being caught with contraband cigarettes
Chinese national Sun Song was sentenced to four weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to offering the bribe. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Woman jailed for offering $50 bribe to ICA officer after being caught with contraband cigarettes
SINGAPORE – A Singapore-based foreign student, who was caught with contraband cigarettes at the Woodlands Checkpoint, tried to get off the hook by offering a bribe of least $50 to an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (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 alerted soon after.
On May 30, the 29-year-old offender was sentenced to four weeks' jail after she pleaded guilty to offering the bribe.
She has since paid a composition of $650 for failing to declare the cigarettes which have been disposed of.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said that Sun had travelled from Malaysia and was at the Woodlands Checkpoint in a private hire vehicle when two ICA officers stopped it for a routine search at around 6.40pm on Nov 23, 2024.
Sun was sitting on the rear passenger seat when one of the officers, Sergeant (2) Nurliana Mohamad Sufian spotted a white plastic bag containing cigarettes beside her.
Sun did not give a verbal answer when asked if she had anything to declare and the ICA officers told the driver to drive to the side of the road.
As he did so, Sun slipped the white plastic bag into the car boot through the passenger seats.
Sgt Nurliana asked for the car boot to be opened, and she found that the plastic bag contained 10 packs of cigarettes.
The driver denied owning these items when questioned, the court heard.
Sgt Nurliana then turned her attention to Sun, who pleaded by saying 'please' and 'help me' in English while running her palms together.
DPP Tan said: '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.'
ICA reported the matter to the police at around 7pm that day and the case was later referred to the CPIB, which arrested Sun on Dec 10, 2024.
Pleading for leniency, defence lawyer Foo Ho Chew told the court that his client is remorseful, adding: 'While the form gratification offered is of low value, a mere $50 in cash, she now realises the significance and severity of her actions.'
Mr Foo also said that Sun had cooperated with the authorities during their investigation into the case.
Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times' court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.
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