Jail for woman who obtained information about ex-husband's theft case from cop
The woman was sentenced to a week in jail on July 10 after she pleaded guilty to an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
SINGAPORE – A woman entered a sexual relationship with a police inspector and loaned him $2,000 after he illegally helped her obtain information about her former husband's theft case.
The Vietnamese woman, who was undergoing divorce proceedings, had told the policeman that she wanted to share the information with her lawyer.
Tran Thi Tien, 37, who is also a Singapore permanent resident, was sentenced to a week in jail on July 10 after she pleaded guilty to
an offence under the Official Secrets Act .
At the time of the offence, Singaporean Chan Zhiyao was a senior investigation officer attached to the Special Victims Unit of Bedok Police Division.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie told the court that some time before Dec 2, 2020, Chan was assigned to investigate a case of child abuse involving Tien and her then-husband.
Without revealing details about the child abuse and theft cases, the DPP added that during an investigation, Tien told Chan that she was then undergoing divorce proceedings.
On Dec 9 that year, she told Chan that her former husband had stolen another person's mobile phone at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 2016, and asked for the policeman's help to obtain information about the case.
Chan later went on a work-related computer portal, conducted an unauthorised search with the former husband's details, and obtained a report number linked to the case.
He sent Tien the report number via WhatsApp on Dec 10, 2020.
The pair's case came to light during an investigation on Chan over unrelated matters.
Investigators also found out that Tien and Chan got into a sexual relationship on or around May 25, 2022.
The court heard that she handed him the $2,000 loan on his request the following year.
Her bail was set at $10,000 on July 10, and she is expected to begin serving her sentence on July 24.
Chan, then 44,
was sentenced to a year and four months' jail in April .
The Singapore Police Force told The Straits Times in 2024 that Chan had been suspended from duties, but court documents did not state if he has left the agency.
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