Singapore police hush hush, don't want to comment on why the elite ang moh girls got away scot-free
6 Aussie schoolgirls nabbed for suspected shoplifting in S’pore have returned home: Australian media
The girls are alleged to have stolen lingerie from a Victoria’s Secret store, as well as a pair of Crocs footwear. PHOTO: ST FILE
Samuel Devaraj
PUBLISHED
Nov 23, 2022
SINGAPORE - Six Australian schoolgirls who were here for a netball competition and were arrested after allegedly shoplifting from Orchard Road stores have returned home, according to Australian media reports.
Singapore police said on Nov 16 that six teenagers aged 14 to 16 had been arrested in relation to the case.
Australian media reports had said the girls were suspected of stealing lingerie from a Victoria’s Secret store, as well as a pair of Crocs footwear. They identified the girls as Year 10 students from Bacchus Marsh Grammar, a private school about 60km north of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.
The latest Australian media reports, quoting the school’s principal Andrew Neal, said the matters had been resolved and all the girls had returned home after leaving Singapore last Saturday.
Said the principal: “Everyone is here and they all came in on the same flight… All matters have been resolved and the girls were allowed to proceed to the airport with no further action.”
He earlier said the school had 18 students who were in Singapore to compete in a regional netball competition.
He had recorded the school’s appreciation of the Singapore police for their professionalism, saying in a statement that the police have been firm, fair and thorough.
The Straits Times has contacted the police for comment.
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Double-standards by the PAP government
- Thread starter LITTLEREDDOT
- Start date
Only this kind of moron will see Tin Braindead appointment to Grab as a conflict, but Whore Jinx appointment to Stomachsick Holdings, without any qualifications and a secret salary is no big deal.
Victoria Secret looks good on young nubile Aussie girls with nice tits and ass. Victoria Secret looks terrible on flat chested Sinkie girls with no ass. So better to let them steal it and wear it, then for a sinkie charbor to do the same.Singapore police hush hush, don't want to comment on why the elite ang moh girls got away scot-free
6 Aussie schoolgirls nabbed for suspected shoplifting in S’pore have returned home: Australian media
The girls are alleged to have stolen lingerie from a Victoria’s Secret store, as well as a pair of Crocs footwear. PHOTO: ST FILE
Samuel Devaraj
PUBLISHED
Nov 23, 2022
SINGAPORE - Six Australian schoolgirls who were here for a netball competition and were arrested after allegedly shoplifting from Orchard Road stores have returned home, according to Australian media reports.
Singapore police said on Nov 16 that six teenagers aged 14 to 16 had been arrested in relation to the case.
Australian media reports had said the girls were suspected of stealing lingerie from a Victoria’s Secret store, as well as a pair of Crocs footwear. They identified the girls as Year 10 students from Bacchus Marsh Grammar, a private school about 60km north of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.
The latest Australian media reports, quoting the school’s principal Andrew Neal, said the matters had been resolved and all the girls had returned home after leaving Singapore last Saturday.
Said the principal: “Everyone is here and they all came in on the same flight… All matters have been resolved and the girls were allowed to proceed to the airport with no further action.”
He earlier said the school had 18 students who were in Singapore to compete in a regional netball competition.
He had recorded the school’s appreciation of the Singapore police for their professionalism, saying in a statement that the police have been firm, fair and thorough.
The Straits Times has contacted the police for comment.
Pritam queries Government’s approach to recent issues
Jean Iau
August 2, 2023
SINGAPORE - Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh on Wednesday called out the Government for either being slow to clear the air or less than upfront with Singaporeans when it had to deal with potentially embarrassing issues in its current term.
The Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general also contrasted how Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had exercised sensitivity in dealing with former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin’s extramarital affair, while the Committee of Privileges did not even consider sensitivity as a factor in accounting for the WP’s delay in addressing former MP Raeesah Khan’s lies in Parliament in 2021.
“The Prime Minister did not bat an eyelid in giving the Leader of the Opposition a sermon on Confucian ethics, morality and shame even though at the material time, he would have been aware of the affair between Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and MP Cheng Li Hui,” said Mr Singh (Aljunied GRC).
Rising to speak after PM Lee’s ministerial statement on the corruption probe into Transport Minister S. Iswaran and the affair between Mr Tan and Ms Cheng, Mr Singh cited three examples in which he felt the Government was not forthright with Singaporeans: the Ridout Road saga, Mr Iswaran’s arrest and the use of TraceTogether data for criminal investigations.
He then reiterated his suggestion for the Government to appoint an ethics adviser.
On the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s (CPIB) probe into Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan renting state-owned bungalows, Mr Singh took issue with how the public was informed about the investigations only on June 28, more than a month after PM Lee had directed the bureau to investigate the matter on May 17.
He noted that PM Lee did not disclose the probe in his May 23 statement, which announced that Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean had been tasked to review the matter.
Responding, PM Lee said CPIB investigations are usually not announced at all.
“When I asked the CPIB to investigate, it is my prerogative, I don’t have to tell anybody. What’s important is that I did conduct an investigation and the investigation results were published.”
In Mr Iswaran’s case, CPIB had announced on July 12 that the minister was assisting with investigations.
The bureau subsequently said on July 14 that Mr Iswaran had been arrested on July 11.
PM Lee said CPIB would take into account operational reasons in deciding what information to reveal, and that ministers would not go beyond what the bureau was prepared to say unless there were strong reasons to do so.
“In terms of transmission of information, we are pursuing a red herring,” he added.
Mr Singh also asked why Mr Tan’s case was handled differently from that of former Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer, and why so much time was needed to plan for the care of residents in Mr Tan’s constituency.
Replying, PM Lee said there was a reporting relationship between Mr Palmer and the People’s Association staff member whom he had an affair with.
He also said he had been open about when he found out about Mr Tan and Ms Cheng’s affair.
As for the delay in taking action, he said: “I’ve explained that Marine Parade was a consideration, but all things considered, we should have moved earlier. The important thing is we moved, and we brought it out, and we are open about it.”
On the issue of Ms Khan, PM Lee said the matter is now before the police, and he would leave it to them to pursue.
Mr Singh replied that the matter was about the point PM Lee raised on sensitivity. “The Prime Minister believes that it is appropriate to respond sensitively given the circumstances at hand, and the point I was making was we were dealing here with someone who said she had been raped, and I did not sense that sensitivity coming from the PAP (People’s Action Party) at the time.”
Mr Shanmugam rose to point out that it was Mr Singh who had brought up the word “rape” during the Committee of Privileges inquiry, and said: “So much for sensitivity.”
Responding, Mr Singh said his point was about the selective standards applied by the ruling party on sensitivity, while his use of the word “rape” during the inquiry in 2021 was to show how serious the matter was.
After a further exchange on Ms Khan’s case, Speaker Seah Kian Peng reminded MPs that the ministerial statement was about Mr Iswaran’s graft probe and the resignations of Mr Tan and Ms Cheng.
On the TraceTogether incident, Dr Balakrishnan, who was then in charge of Singapore’s Smart Nation drive, objected to Mr Singh’s characterisation that the incident was part of a pattern of the Government not being forthright.
He questioned if the timeline really showed a lack of transparency, recounting how he was unaware of the prevailing legislation when he assured the public in June 2020 that TraceTogether data would not be used by law enforcement agencies.
In October that year, a member of the public wrote to him questioning if this was true. Dr Balakrishnan directed his staff to check the following month and then decided to rectify the matter.
As Parliament did not sit in December that year, then Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan responded to an MP’s question in January 2021 and clarified that the police could use TraceTogether data in investigations under Section 20 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Dr Balakrishnan said he had acted in good faith at all times. “I have tried to make sure that in design, in execution and in coordination of a complex matter in an emergency, I have been transparent and forthright with the people, and I object to your characterisation and use of an old debate which was settled in Parliament to suggest that there is a pattern of delay, prevarication and obfuscation.”
CPIB did not initially reveal Iswaran’s arrest as it wanted to establish more facts: Chan Chun Sing
Chin Soo Fang
Senior Correspondent
August 2, 2023
SINGAPORE - The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) did not initially announce that Transport Minister S. Iswaran had been arrested as it wanted first to establish more facts of the case, including hearing his side of the story, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
CPIB had said on July 12 that Mr Iswaran was assisting with investigations into a case it had uncovered.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took reference from CPIB’s press release on July 12 in their statements to the media that same day, Mr Chan told the House on Wednesday.
“This was the proper thing to do because ministers, including the prime minister, should not reveal more than what the law enforcement agencies are prepared to disclose,” he said, adding that while ministers do have the final decision-making power, they usually take the law enforcement agency’s advice.
Mr Chan, who is Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, noted that Hotel Properties Limited issued a statement two days later on July 14, saying its founder and managing director Ong Beng Seng had been “given a notice of arrest” by CPIB. This prompted the media to ask CPIB about it.
“By then, investigations had been ongoing for three days and CPIB had obtained more facts,” said Mr Chan. “CPIB made the operational judgment call that it would be appropriate at that point to confirm that both Mr Ong and minister Iswaran had been arrested.”
What law enforcement agencies, including CPIB, reveal at any point in time takes into account operational considerations for cases, including preserving the integrity of evidence, protecting the confidentiality of ongoing investigations, and avoiding impact on other related parties, he added.
Mr Chan also addressed other matters raised by various members of Parliament, including Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong GRC), Mr Don Wee (Chua Chu Kang GRC), Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai, Mr Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) and Mr Dennis Tan (Hougang).
Q. Do all CPIB investigations require the PM’s concurrence, and is CPIB obliged to seek the PM’s concurrence to open formal investigations into potential offences that it has uncovered?
A: Mr Chan said that while CPIB reports directly to PM Lee, it is functionally independent and does not require his concurrence to conduct its investigations.“In this case, (CPIB) kept the Prime Minister informed and sought his concurrence to initiate formal investigations of minister Iswaran because the investigations concerned a Cabinet minister,” he said.
In the event that the prime minister refuses to give his consent to a CPIB investigation, the director of CPIB can go directly to the elected president for agreement to proceed with the investigation, he added.
“In reality, we have never had a prime minister who has impeded CPIB’s work,” Mr Chan noted.
Q. Why did ministers K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan continue with their duties while being investigated by CPIB over the Ridout Road issue, while Mr Iswaran was placed on leave of absence?
A: There is a crucial difference between both cases, said Mr Chan, noting that Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan had asked for an independent investigation into their rental of state-owned colonial bungalows.When PM Lee tasked CPIB to investigate, he had no reason to believe that the ministers had committed any wrongdoing, and therefore saw no need to put them on leave of absence during the investigation, Mr Chan added.
The CPIB investigation subsequently cleared both ministers.
“The Prime Minister could have asked the ministers to take leave of absence should evidence have surfaced during the investigations that warranted it,” Mr Chan said.
In Mr Iswaran’s case, PM Lee’s assessment was that it was necessary to suspend Mr Iswaran from his official duties while the investigation took place, Mr Chan said.
Q: Was Mr Iswaran’s gazetted “leave of absence” from July 7 to 9 related to the CPIB investigation?
A: Mr Chan said Mr Iswaran took leave during this period for personal matters. The leave of absence arising from the CPIB investigation was effected only on July 12.Iswaran’s monthly pay cut to $8,500 until further notice amid CPIB probe: PM Lee
Recap: PM Lee on CPIB’s Iswaran probe, MP resignations
Q: Will the code of conduct for ministers be reviewed?
A: Mr Chan said the general principles of the code – which has been in place since 1954 and was last updated in 2005 – remain valid.“We will continue to review and update the code of conduct for ministers regularly, taking into account evolving circumstances and needs,” he said.
Q: What are the avenues for public officers to report wrongdoing, and what are the measures in place to protect whistle-blowers?
A: A public service officer who is unsure about a request that he has received – because it seems inappropriate or unrelated to official work – should consult and seek guidance from his supervisor, Mr Chan said.If the request came from his supervisor, or a more senior officer, the officer can escalate the matter appropriately through the chain of command – including directly to his permanent secretary, the head of the agency, the head of civil service, or the minister in-charge of the public service.
Mr Chan said there is an established internal disclosure policy framework within the civil service, where officers can report any wrongful practices to their permanent secretaries. Statutory boards have their own equivalent processes.
All reports are treated with utmost confidentiality, and every effort is made to protect the officer’s identity, he added.
Between 2020 and 2022, no report that surfaced through this channel was referred to CPIB for investigation.
Under the Public Service Protocol for reporting corruption, officers should directly report to the police or CPIB when they learn of any act of corruption or have reason to believe it may have been committed in their ministries, Mr Chan said.
He added that of the 83 cases that CPIB registered for investigation in 2022, 13 – or 16 per cent – were from anonymous sources.
Four public-sector officers were prosecuted for graft offences in 2022, he said, noting that such cases form a small portion of the cases CPIB investigates each year.
Q. Are political office holders and civil servants required to declare meals received, and what is the value for which such declarations are required?
A: Civil servants must declare to their permanent secretaries any gifts they receive from external parties on account of their official position or work, Mr Chan said.Officers may be allowed to retain gifts valued below $50 if doing so does not affect the integrity of the civil service, he added.
Those who want to retain gifts valued above $50 must pay the gift’s assessed market value to the Government.
Officers who are invited to meals may accept when there are legitimate work-related reasons, or when it is impractical or impolite to reject the meal, Mr Chan said.
Civil servants should declare and seek approval from their permanent secretaries if they receive any meal invitation, “especially if they assess that the value of the meal or hospitality is incongruent with the professional nature of the meeting and may give rise to perceptions of influence peddling and conflict of interest – real or perceived”, he said.
Political office holders adopt a similar spirit and principles in their official activities, he added.
‘I should have forced the issue sooner’: PM Lee explains approach to Tan Chuan-Jin, Cheng Li Hui affair
Goh Yan Han
Political Correspondent
August 2, 2023
SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged on Wednesday in Parliament that he should have acted earlier on the affair between former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin and former People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Cheng Li Hui.
In his ministerial statement, he said that he had been asked why he took so long, more than two years, to act.
“It is a fair question. In retrospect, and certainly now, knowing how things eventually turned out, I agree. I should have forced the issue sooner,” he said.
He added that by giving the matter some time, he had hoped to give them a softer exit, and save them and their families the pain and embarrassment they are suffering now.
“I placed much weight on protecting their families – perhaps too much,” said PM Lee.
“Regrettably, in the end Mr Tan and Ms Cheng did not stop the affair, and both had to go. On reflection, as I said, I should have forced the issue earlier, certainly before midterm,” he added.
Parliament had gone into recess at the end of March, marking the middle of its five-year term. It resumed after two weeks, on April 10.
On Wednesday, PM Lee described the facts of the incident between Mr Tan and Ms Cheng.
He had first learnt of their relationship in November 2020, some time after the general election.
The pair were spoken to and counselled separately, and both said they would stop the affair, which they did not.
“Most recently, in February 2023, I spoke to them again, separately. Mr Tan admitted that what he did was wrong. He offered to resign. I accepted, but I told him that before he actually resigned, I had first to make sure residents in Kembangan-Chai Chee, his ward, and Marine Parade, his GRC, were taken care of,” said PM Lee.
PM Lee said he wanted to explain his general approach, as well as his thinking at that point in time.
These sorts of relationships happen from time to time, he said.
They have happened in the past, and no doubt will happen again in the future. In such cases, what is done depends on many factors – the circumstances, how inappropriate or scandalous the behaviour is, and the family situations, said PM Lee.
“We also have to be conscious of the impact on innocent parties – particularly the spouses and children… This is not a new position – it reflects the PAP’s longstanding practice, since the days of Mr Lee Kuan Yew,” he said.
He added that there is no single template that applies to all extramarital affairs, but there can be at least three situations.
Former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin (left) and former People’s Action Party MP Cheng Li Hui were spoken to and counselled separately. Both said they would stop the affair, which they did not. PHOTOS: GOV.SG, MCI
First, where the individuals involved will be talked to, and if they stop, the matter ends there and no further action is needed.
Second, where immediate action has to be taken – for example, if one of the individuals has supervisory power over the other.
PM Lee noted that the party had in the past taken immediate action in a few cases.
In 2012, then Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer resigned just days after he came clean about his extramarital affair.
Third, where the relationship raises some questions of propriety, beyond it being an extramarital affair.
The individuals will be talked to, but the matter cannot end there, said PM Lee.
Even if the affair stops, some action has to follow – but what that action is and when it is taken depends on the nature of the facts and the boundaries transgressed, he said.
“The present situation falls into this third category. It’s wrong. Mr Tan and Ms Cheng had to stop their affair. I told them to stop.”
PM Lee asked members to consider if they would object to having a Speaker married to an MP, in deciding what more should be done in the incident involving Mr Tan and Ms Cheng.
“I think the answer is no – that would be perfectly all right. There is no direct reporting line between the Speaker and an MP. Thus, an open, legitimate relationship between the Speaker and an MP is not in itself objectionable,” he said.
Thus, this situation of a Speaker having an affair with an MP does not fall into the category where immediate action has to be taken.
But the Speaker has some official capacity vis-a-vis MPs, said PM Lee.
“An extramarital affair between him and an MP is therefore problematic. It puts other MPs and staff in an awkward position, and it is just not proper,” he added.
PM Lee said that after he spoke to Mr Tan in November 2020, he was told that the relationship would end, and he took it to be so.
He therefore felt there was some leeway to take some time to decide what further steps to take.
One possible action that could have followed would have been, should the affair have stopped, that PM Lee would ask Mr Tan to step down as Speaker some time before the end of the term, in a way that would reduce the public embarrassment to him and his family.
“As to whether one or both should also resign as MPs – I hadn’t decided at that time, but quite likely both would have had to leave at some point,” he said.
PM Lee added a “personal plea” that while there was no doubt the two of them had behaved improperly, there are also innocent family members involved.
“Likewise for the case involving a former member across the aisle, in the Workers’ Party. All their families are suffering,” said PM Lee, referring to the affair between former Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera and former senior Workers’ Party member Nicole Seah.
Mr Perera and Ms Seah resigned from the party after initially lying about their affair, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said in a press conference in July.
PM Lee said on Wednesday that he hoped MPs and the public could empathise and have compassion for the families, and give them the privacy and space they need to heal.
PAP has taken a hit, but will continue to uphold standards
The PAP has taken a hit with the investigation into Transport Minister S. Iswaran, and the resignations of two MPs, PM Lee acknowledged on Wednesday.But he assured Singaporeans that the party would protect the integrity of the system of government.
“For the good of our country, we will carry through what needs to be done in accordance with the law, even if it may be politically embarrassing and painful to the party. I will not flinch or hesitate to do my duty, to keep our system robust and clean.”
He said: “But we will show Singaporeans that we will uphold standards and do the right thing, so that trust is maintained, and the Singapore system continues to work well.
“This is my approach, and I am confident it will be my successor’s approach too. And this is how we will keep Singapore safe, strong and prosperous for many years to come.”
He noted that there had been a great deal of public interest over the recent series of incidents, with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) arresting and investigating Mr Iswaran, the resignation of two MPs, and the allegations on the Ridout Road rentals.
“The way we have handled these incidents shows how seriously the PAP takes our responsibility of governing Singapore, and being accountable to Parliament and to Singaporeans,” said PM Lee, addressing the House.
He assured MPs that when such issues come up, the party will deal with them properly and transparently, as it has done.
On the issue of CPIB’s investigation involving Mr Iswaran, when the bureau discovered on its own that it had reason to arrest and interview a minister, it opened a formal investigation.
“Nobody tipped them off. There had been no public scandal. CPIB came across something that needed investigating, and proceeded to do their job,” PM Lee said.
On the issue of the PAP MPs’ affairs, he added: “We took some time to sort it out, probably longer than we should have. But we did what we needed to do, and put the situation right.”
The CPIB had also earlier thoroughly investigated ministers K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan on the Ridout Road rentals, and found no wrongdoing on their part.
These incidents show two aspects of how the PAP government works, said PM Lee.
One, when there is a suspicion or allegation of wrongdoing in the discharge of official duties, especially possible corruption, there is zero tolerance.
Two, when people slip in their personal lives, the PAP will look at the facts of each case carefully, and deal with the matter as humanely and sensitively as possible, according to the principles the party has established, he said.
“Systems are composed of human beings. In any system, however comprehensive the safeguards, sometimes something will still go wrong. The PAP Government does our utmost to minimise that possibility,” said PM Lee.
He added that the party works hard to identify the right people to bring into politics and appoint to responsible positions. They are vetted carefully, tested and stretched, before they are entrusted with heavier responsibilities.
Often they measure up, but sometimes they fall short. Occasionally they transgress norms of conduct, or commit wrongdoing, he said.
He noted that Singapore has seen corruption cases involving political office-holders in the past, including Mr Teh Cheang Wan, former minister for national development, in 1986; and Mr Phey Yew Kok, former MP and president of the National Trades Union Congress, in 1979.
“All these cases were handled by Mr Lee Kuan Yew who was then prime minister – thoroughly, transparently, and applying the full force of the law. That is still how the PAP Government deals with such cases. It’s not changed under my charge; and it won’t under my successor either,” said PM Lee.
All authoritarian regimes practice double-standards. No exceptions.
Shanmugam, Vivian have done nothing wrong and retain my full confidence: PM Lee on Ridout Road saga
Goh Yan Han
Political Correspondent
JUL 4, 2023
SINGAPORE - Ministers K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan have done nothing wrong and retain his full confidence, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, following probes by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean that uncovered no criminal wrongdoing or improper conduct.
There is nothing wrong with ministers renting black-and-white bungalows from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) as both had, provided it is properly done and all procedures are followed, he added.
Addressing Parliament on the Ridout Road issue on Monday, PM Lee said ministers in Singapore are paid a clean wage – “realistic, competitive, but clean wage”.
“They don’t get perks, there’s no official house to live in. You get a salary. It’s for you to judge what you need it for, for your lives. Save it, give it away, spend it, put it in a house, travel, whatever,” he said.
“Therefore, where ministers decide to live, whether they want to rent, whether they want to buy, these are personal choices.”
The debate came after weeks of public speculation on the circumstances by which both Law and Home Affairs Minister Mr Shanmugam and Foreign Minister Dr Balakrishnan came to rent the bungalows at 26 and 31 Ridout Road respectively. MPs had submitted over 20 questions ahead of this week’s sitting.
When he heard that both ministers had rented the colonial bungalows, PM Lee said his assessment, without going into it in depth, was that he did not believe there was wrongdoing.
“I had every confidence that my ministers and the SLA officials who dealt with them would have done the right things and handled the rentals properly,” he said.
However, the issue continued to attract public interest and both ministers asked him to conduct an investigation independent of their ministries.
PM Lee then decided that, “notwithstanding my confidence in them and in the system”, it would be best to task the CPIB to conduct a formal investigation and to establish definitively if there was any corruption or wrongdoing.
“The CPIB is independent. It has built up a strong reputation as an anti-corruption outfit... Everybody in Singapore knows what it means when CPIB invites you to lim kopi (drink coffee),” he said.
Apart from the legal question of whether there was criminal conduct, PM Lee said he wanted a broader review, including on SLA’s processes, whether there was preferential treatment enjoyed by the ministers, and whether any privileged information was disclosed to them.
“As PM, my duty is not just to be satisfied that legally there was no wrongdoing, but whether – quite apart from the law – there was any other kind of misconduct or impropriety.”
He then tasked SM Teo to conduct this review to complement CPIB’s investigation.
PM Lee noted that SM Teo is his most senior minister in terms of years in Cabinet and experience.
“I appointed him to show that I had every intention to maintain the Government’s and the PAP’s (People’s Action Party) longstanding high and stringent standards of integrity and propriety,” he said.
He noted some MPs had suggested on Monday that SM Teo was not sufficiently independent to conduct the investigation.
PM Lee said he viewed it differently. For corruption and wrongdoing, an independent process is in place, such as a CPIB investigation and referral to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
“But ethics and standards of propriety – those are the Prime Minister’s responsibility. I have to set the standards of what’s ethical, what’s proper,” he said.
“I cannot outsource them, for example, to appoint an ethics adviser to tell me what is proper or not proper. I have to know what is proper or not. Otherwise I shouldn’t be here.”
Addressing Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh’s remarks on the subject, PM Lee said: “The Leader of the Opposition paid CPIB and paid the Government a compliment just now when he said, nobody is suggesting corruption on the part of the ministers.”
Mr Singh had said earlier in the sitting: “I don’t believe anybody is making an allegation that the minister is corrupt, somebody is corrupt in the system... Singaporeans are not making that point. I think it’s quite clear.”
PM Lee noted that Monday’s parliamentary discussion was not meant to just resolve the issue of the Ridout Road rentals.
He said: “It is also a demonstration of how the PAP (People’s Action Party) is determined to uphold the standards which it has set itself from the beginning, in 1959.
“This Government has not, and will never, tolerate any compromise or departure from the stringent standards of honesty, integrity and incorruptibility that Singaporeans expect of us.”
This is the foundation not just for the people’s trust in the PAP government, but for the integrity and good functioning of Singapore’s political system, said PM Lee.
“This is my commitment and the PAP government’s unwavering commitment to Singaporeans.”
Recapping the debate
Speaking at the end of a close to six-hour exchange, SM Teo noted that a broader point underlying the discussion was the issue of equity and fairness.Uplifting all Singapore citizens is a shared aspiration of MPs from both sides of the House, he said, adding that the PAP government is dedicated to building an inclusive and progressive society.
SM Teo also spoke on the importance of a clean government and upholding integrity among those in public service – whether elected, or public officers.
He noted that PM Lee had acted firmly on the Ridout Road matter by directing CPIB to investigate, even though reports from the Ministry of Law and SLA did not indicate a high likelihood of wrongdoing.
He added: “I am glad today that in this House, we have agreed to focus on the facts and the truth, not just on wild allegations, rumours or perceptions.
“This is important so that we can build a system with a strong foundation, which will help to bring in good people to continue to serve in government, to take Singapore further forward.”
SM Teo also said he was glad that no one was alleging corruption.
Earlier on Monday, SM Teo had said that to prevent conflict of interest, public servants who have access to government property leasing or valuation matters will have to make a declaration, before they can rent such properties managed by their agencies.
The Prime Minister will also review the declarations required for property transactions for ministers and PAP MPs.
Both Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan then addressed MPs’ questions on their rental of the two properties.
Mr Shanmugam said he spent more than $500,000 refurbishing 26 Ridout Road, and is not making money from its rental.
Between the rent he was paying to live in the bungalow and the money he was receiving from renting out his family home – a good class bungalow – he was at net deficit, after accounting for property and income tax.
Dr Balakrishnan said he and his wife had rented the bungalow so their children and grandchildren could be under one roof.
He added that the property was in an “advanced state of disrepair” when his family took over the tenancy. Extensive repairs were necessary to make the house liveable.
Addressing questions related to SLA, Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong said SLA had acted properly in leasing out the properties at 26 and 31 Ridout Road, and there was “every reasonable, commercial basis” for the transactions.
Mr Tong said the terms of both leases were standard and did not deviate from usual processes. He noted that SLA’s valuation department did not know the prospective tenant for 26 Ridout Road was Mr Shanmugam.
Separately, in response to a question on whether ministers living in private properties like black-and-whites are able to relate to the people, Mr Shanmugam said that grappling with inequality is “not just an academic exercise” as he grew up in rental housing.
“Mr Lee Kuan Yew set up a system that allowed a poor Indian kid to become a successful lawyer to do well,” he said.
“You don’t deal with inequality by preventing poor kids from doing well... You tackle inequality by providing for social mobility by helping people to move up.”
Mr Shanmugam also answered questions from MPs, including from Mr Singh, on whether his decision to ask the then deputy secretary at the Law Ministry for a list of available properties was appropriate.
The minister said this was done so that the ministry knew what he was doing, and for total transparency.
“I think it was important for me to have told my ministry, so this is not on a private errand or something,” he said.
"Devices like mobile phones and laptops may also be seized as evidence during the process."
So why weren't K Shanmugam's and Vivian Balakrishnan's mobile phones and laptops seized for investigation into the Ridout bungalow discount rental corruption case?
Those familiar with investigations by CPIB say witnesses and accused persons can be questioned for hours at its building in Lengkok Bahru. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
JUL 30, 2023
SINGAPORE – Transport Minister S. Iswaran was at the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) headquarters for about 10 hours on July 18, a week after he was arrested in a corruption probe that also involves tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
Those familiar with investigations by the anti-graft body say witnesses and accused persons can be questioned for hours at its building in Lengkok Bahru. Devices like mobile phones and laptops may also be seized as evidence during the process.
At these interviews, investigators may record a cautioned statement, which spells out the offence the CPIB is looking into. This statement is necessary when an individual is to be charged.
Lawyer Andy Yeo told The Sunday Times that an accused person is formally confronted with a copy of the charge during a lengthy process where he is given one more chance to respond to it.
Mr Yeo said: “If he doesn’t outline his defence at this stage, then he might be less likely to be believed subsequently.”
If there is enough evidence after the statement is recorded, the interviewee may be placed under arrest and released on bail.
“Bail is usually given and seldom denied,” said Mr Yeo.
The only time bail is denied is when the accused is a flight risk or threatens to harm a witness, or when there is continuing investigations into a wider scope of charges or for serious cases like rape, kidnapping or murder.
Mr Iswaran and Mr Ong are both currently released on bail. They had to surrender their passports, the CPIB had said earlier.
ST spoke to three people who were called in over corruption allegations, and lawyers who had clients who were investigated by the anti-graft body.
They spoke of invitations by “Uncle Sam” to the “White House” – a moniker the bureau earned for keeping Singapore clean of corruption – to “lim kopi” (drink coffee), which means an interview.
Those who have been to the headquarters say there is an actual “lim kopi” sign in the building.
The CPIB decided to rename a meeting room at the Lengkok Bahru premises as “Lim’s Kopi”. PHOTO: CPIB
Lawyer S. Balamurugan said he had clients who were called in for interviews that stretched for more than four hours.
“(It) could be due to the complexity of the cases, the number of witnesses, and because the investigators had to go through voluminous documents or forensic documents, essentially the details,” said Mr Balamurugan.
He had at least 10 clients who were interviewed by the CPIB in his 23 years of practice.
Another senior lawyer, who asked not to be named, said investigators could also interview several people linked to the case at the same time.
“Most times, there are simultaneous interviews going on in different rooms,” said the lawyer.
“They cross-check (information), they wait and then verify information... Another reason why it takes time is because they are screening your phone and looking at messages before they ask you questions,” said the lawyer with more than 20 years of experience.
Former Fifa referee T. Rajamanickam was investigated for corruption in 1994 over a football match Singapore played against Kelantan in April that year.
He said officers searched his home and later took him to the CPIB office, which was then in Hill Street.
“I was taken into a small air-conditioned room, where, for the next 12 hours, I was interviewed by a few investigating officers (IOs),” said Mr Rajamanickam, 72.
In that period, he was given “kopi” and fed. Different IOs interviewed him several times, often asking the same questions in different ways.
“I was not fearful,” Mr Rajamanickam said, adding that he did not think he was involved in match fixing.
But he later admitted in a signed statement that he had received $1,000 from a known bookie and businessman, Mr Rajendran R. Kurusamy, then 34.
Former Singapore football international K. Kannan (left) and former referee T Rajamanickam, whose life bans were lifted by the Football Association of Singapore on March 15, 2022. PHOTO: V.K. SANTOSH KUMAR
Mr Rajamanickam pleaded guilty to receiving the money for arranging for Malaysian soccer referee K. Nadarajan to be lenient to the Singapore team in a Premier League match against Kelantan. Singapore won 1-0.
In October 1994, Mr Rajamanickam was sentenced to eight months’ jail and fined $1,000 for accepting $1,000 as a bribe. A second charge of corruptly receiving RM 5,000 (S$1,450) from Mr Rajendran was taken into consideration.
He was also handed a lifetime ban from all football activities and deregistered from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) referees’ list in 1994. FAS lifted his ban on March 15, 2022.
“It’s very sad because today I could have been riding high in Fifa... giving lectures or being a match commissioner at one of the World Cups,” he said.
In the CPIB’s 70-year history, its officers have interviewed people from all walks of life – from businessmen to forklift drivers to powerful people, including ministers.
The bureau, which was set up in 1952, also investigates complaints from anonymous sources.
In 2022, of the 234 corruption-related reports it received, 100 – or 43 per cent – were anonymous.
The CPIB previously said it assesses anonymous reports based on the merit of the information provided. Of the 83 cases registered for investigation in 2022, 13 cases – or 16 per cent – came from anonymous sources.
Most cases the anti-graft body investigated in 2022 were from the private sector. Public-sector-originating cases accounted for 14 per cent of all cases registered for investigation that year.
The conviction rate for CPIB cases is above the 95th percentile. In 2022, it was 99 per cent.
On its website, the anti-graft body said: “The consistently high conviction rate for CPIB cases is testament to the quality of the bureau’s investigation to be able to stand up to scrutiny in court, as well as the close working relationship between CPIB and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in bringing corrupt offenders to task.”
So why weren't K Shanmugam's and Vivian Balakrishnan's mobile phones and laptops seized for investigation into the Ridout bungalow discount rental corruption case?
What it means to have an hours-long ‘lim kopi’ at S’pore’s CPIB
Those familiar with investigations by CPIB say witnesses and accused persons can be questioned for hours at its building in Lengkok Bahru. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
JUL 30, 2023
SINGAPORE – Transport Minister S. Iswaran was at the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) headquarters for about 10 hours on July 18, a week after he was arrested in a corruption probe that also involves tycoon Ong Beng Seng.
Those familiar with investigations by the anti-graft body say witnesses and accused persons can be questioned for hours at its building in Lengkok Bahru. Devices like mobile phones and laptops may also be seized as evidence during the process.
At these interviews, investigators may record a cautioned statement, which spells out the offence the CPIB is looking into. This statement is necessary when an individual is to be charged.
Lawyer Andy Yeo told The Sunday Times that an accused person is formally confronted with a copy of the charge during a lengthy process where he is given one more chance to respond to it.
Mr Yeo said: “If he doesn’t outline his defence at this stage, then he might be less likely to be believed subsequently.”
If there is enough evidence after the statement is recorded, the interviewee may be placed under arrest and released on bail.
“Bail is usually given and seldom denied,” said Mr Yeo.
The only time bail is denied is when the accused is a flight risk or threatens to harm a witness, or when there is continuing investigations into a wider scope of charges or for serious cases like rape, kidnapping or murder.
Mr Iswaran and Mr Ong are both currently released on bail. They had to surrender their passports, the CPIB had said earlier.
ST spoke to three people who were called in over corruption allegations, and lawyers who had clients who were investigated by the anti-graft body.
They spoke of invitations by “Uncle Sam” to the “White House” – a moniker the bureau earned for keeping Singapore clean of corruption – to “lim kopi” (drink coffee), which means an interview.
Those who have been to the headquarters say there is an actual “lim kopi” sign in the building.
The CPIB decided to rename a meeting room at the Lengkok Bahru premises as “Lim’s Kopi”. PHOTO: CPIB
Lawyer S. Balamurugan said he had clients who were called in for interviews that stretched for more than four hours.
“(It) could be due to the complexity of the cases, the number of witnesses, and because the investigators had to go through voluminous documents or forensic documents, essentially the details,” said Mr Balamurugan.
He had at least 10 clients who were interviewed by the CPIB in his 23 years of practice.
Another senior lawyer, who asked not to be named, said investigators could also interview several people linked to the case at the same time.
“Most times, there are simultaneous interviews going on in different rooms,” said the lawyer.
“They cross-check (information), they wait and then verify information... Another reason why it takes time is because they are screening your phone and looking at messages before they ask you questions,” said the lawyer with more than 20 years of experience.
Former Fifa referee T. Rajamanickam was investigated for corruption in 1994 over a football match Singapore played against Kelantan in April that year.
He said officers searched his home and later took him to the CPIB office, which was then in Hill Street.
“I was taken into a small air-conditioned room, where, for the next 12 hours, I was interviewed by a few investigating officers (IOs),” said Mr Rajamanickam, 72.
In that period, he was given “kopi” and fed. Different IOs interviewed him several times, often asking the same questions in different ways.
“I was not fearful,” Mr Rajamanickam said, adding that he did not think he was involved in match fixing.
But he later admitted in a signed statement that he had received $1,000 from a known bookie and businessman, Mr Rajendran R. Kurusamy, then 34.
Former Singapore football international K. Kannan (left) and former referee T Rajamanickam, whose life bans were lifted by the Football Association of Singapore on March 15, 2022. PHOTO: V.K. SANTOSH KUMAR
Mr Rajamanickam pleaded guilty to receiving the money for arranging for Malaysian soccer referee K. Nadarajan to be lenient to the Singapore team in a Premier League match against Kelantan. Singapore won 1-0.
In October 1994, Mr Rajamanickam was sentenced to eight months’ jail and fined $1,000 for accepting $1,000 as a bribe. A second charge of corruptly receiving RM 5,000 (S$1,450) from Mr Rajendran was taken into consideration.
He was also handed a lifetime ban from all football activities and deregistered from the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) referees’ list in 1994. FAS lifted his ban on March 15, 2022.
“It’s very sad because today I could have been riding high in Fifa... giving lectures or being a match commissioner at one of the World Cups,” he said.
In the CPIB’s 70-year history, its officers have interviewed people from all walks of life – from businessmen to forklift drivers to powerful people, including ministers.
The bureau, which was set up in 1952, also investigates complaints from anonymous sources.
In 2022, of the 234 corruption-related reports it received, 100 – or 43 per cent – were anonymous.
The CPIB previously said it assesses anonymous reports based on the merit of the information provided. Of the 83 cases registered for investigation in 2022, 13 cases – or 16 per cent – came from anonymous sources.
Most cases the anti-graft body investigated in 2022 were from the private sector. Public-sector-originating cases accounted for 14 per cent of all cases registered for investigation that year.
The conviction rate for CPIB cases is above the 95th percentile. In 2022, it was 99 per cent.
On its website, the anti-graft body said: “The consistently high conviction rate for CPIB cases is testament to the quality of the bureau’s investigation to be able to stand up to scrutiny in court, as well as the close working relationship between CPIB and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in bringing corrupt offenders to task.”
Islander Singapore... get push around.... a vassal State of Australia....Singapore police hush hush, don't want to comment on why the elite ang moh girls got away scot-free
6 Aussie schoolgirls nabbed for suspected shoplifting in S’pore have returned home: Australian media
The girls are alleged to have stolen lingerie from a Victoria’s Secret store, as well as a pair of Crocs footwear. PHOTO: ST FILE
Samuel Devaraj
PUBLISHED
Nov 23, 2022
SINGAPORE - Six Australian schoolgirls who were here for a netball competition and were arrested after allegedly shoplifting from Orchard Road stores have returned home, according to Australian media reports.
Singapore police said on Nov 16 that six teenagers aged 14 to 16 had been arrested in relation to the case.
Australian media reports had said the girls were suspected of stealing lingerie from a Victoria’s Secret store, as well as a pair of Crocs footwear. They identified the girls as Year 10 students from Bacchus Marsh Grammar, a private school about 60km north of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.
The latest Australian media reports, quoting the school’s principal Andrew Neal, said the matters had been resolved and all the girls had returned home after leaving Singapore last Saturday.
Said the principal: “Everyone is here and they all came in on the same flight… All matters have been resolved and the girls were allowed to proceed to the airport with no further action.”
He earlier said the school had 18 students who were in Singapore to compete in a regional netball competition.
He had recorded the school’s appreciation of the Singapore police for their professionalism, saying in a statement that the police have been firm, fair and thorough.
The Straits Times has contacted the police for comment.
MAS penalties on DBS won’t set the bank back, analysts say
FILE PHOTO: A DBS logo on their office building in Singapore, February 22, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Abigail Ng
03 Nov 2023SINGAPORE: The punishment meted out to DBS appears "minor" and not commensurate with the impact of the service disruptions to Singapore's biggest lender, including one where online banking and ATM services were down for hours, analysts said.
On Wednesday (Nov 1), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said DBS would be barred from making non-essential IT changes and any acquisitions of new business ventures for six months.
DBS also will not be allowed to reduce the size of its branch and ATM networks until MAS is satisfied with the progress of the bank’s remediation plan.
And the financial regulator said it would continue to require DBS to apply a multiplier of 1.8 times to its risk-weighted assets for operational risk.
When asked if the penalties were reasonable, the National University of Singapore's Assistant Professor in Finance Ben Charoenwong said it was worth considering the impact that the disruptions had on customers.
DBS is the “go-to bank” for many Singaporeans – some of whom may not do business with any other institutions, he said.
“If they are unable to access their funds or process payments, the cost to those users is the foregone economic transactions,” he said. “From that perspective, it seems the (penalties) and additional capital requirements appear to be minor.”
In a research note published on Thursday, RHB Bank research analysts said the management team at DBS could give more details on the impact of MAS' regulatory action, when its third-quarter results are released.
“But the direct impact looks to involve higher opex (compliance cost, tech spending) and capex,” the analysts wrote, referring to operational expenditure and capital expenditure.
“In our view, the impact does not represent too much of a setback to DBS,” the analysts told CNA separately.
ACQUISITION PLANS?
The ban on acquiring new business ventures in the next six months may also have a limited impact on DBS, with five analysts telling CNA they were unaware of any upcoming acquisition plans.“We note that the group has been focusing on integrating LVB (Lakshmi Vilas Bank) and Citi Taiwan acquisitions as well as guiding for higher dividends,” said Mr Thilan Wickramasinghe, head of Singapore research at Maybank.
“To us, this indicates limited appetite for any material (mergers and acquisitions) in the near term,” he said.
DBS took over India’s Lakshmi Vilas Bank in late 2020 and completed its acquisition of Citi’s consumer banking business in Taiwan in August this year.
MAS will review the progress made by DBS after the six-month window, and may extend the duration of measures, vary the additional capital requirement or take further actions.
“NOT A BAD IDEA” TO NOT FINE DBS
MAS did not impose any punitive monetary actions on DBS, noted Dr Patrick Thng, former chief information officer for finance and treasury at the World Bank.“It’s not a bad idea in the sense that instead of fining DBS and taking the money, they asked DBS to use that money to fix their infrastructure problems,” he said.
“To some extent, I commend MAS, I think that’s quite commendable.”
DBS chief executive officer Piyush Gupta said the bank will set aside S$80 million (US$58.6 million) to enhance system resiliency.
Consulting firm Accenture conducted an independent review and found four main areas of weakness for DBS – technology risk governance and oversight, incident management, system resilience and change management.
To MAS, the board of directors and senior management play an important role in the oversight and management of technology risk, Dr Thng pointed out.
On that note, he said it was important for board members to have strong digital skills – beyond financial and business skills – to effectively steer the organisation.
“Many organisations, banks included, are not having enough people with digital experience on their boards,” he said, adding that it sometimes takes a disruption or outage to spur a company to find a board member with digital skills.
IMPACT ON DBS STOCK PRICE
Shares of DBS fell 1.12 per cent on Thursday, the first trading day after the penalties were announced by MAS.RHB Bank said it was possible that the decline was a reaction to the regulatory action, but pointed out that most banks' share prices slipped on the same day.
However, CGS-CIMB said DBS shares fell more than its peers on Thursday. UOB’s stock dipped 0.77 per cent, while OCBC fell 0.16 per cent.
Shares of DBS have fallen around 5 per cent so far this year, but analysts said it was not due to the service disruptions.
“(The year-to-date) share price movement is primarily driven by earnings and management’s outlook in relation to the interest rates, and less so by the outages, in our view,” CGS-CIMB said.
Mr Wickramasinghe of Maybank said material impact on earnings or dividends was unlikely in the near term. In the medium term, growth could be affected by how DBS addresses the root causes of the outages and how risk management and control functions are strengthened, he said.
“Five major digital disruptions in the space of a year does raise concerns on system reliability and risk management,” he said, adding that DBS Group’s growth and product distribution strategies were very digital-centric.
“More clarity will be needed on how these can be executed under the current situation.”
Foreign talent does not get charged. Given the chance to compound his offence.
Dr Jeremy Fernando was charged in March 2023 with one count of molestation. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
SINGAPORE - Former National University of Singapore (NUS) lecturer Jeremy Fernando has avoided a potential prison sentence after his molestation charge was compounded, the terms of which were not mentioned in court.
Dr Fernando, who was also a Tembusu College fellow, was on Jan 29 granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal.
With this development, he cannot be charged again over the same offence.
The 44-year-old had been accused of outraging a woman’s modesty. Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty.
Compounding an offence requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with a payment or an apology.
Before agreeing to the terms, the public prosecutor will also need to consider the public interest, circumstances of the offence and whether there are any aggravating factors.
The Straits Times has reached out to the Attorney-General’s Chambers about the compensation terms.
Dr Fernando, who was represented by lawyer Tan Jun Yin from Trident Law Corporation, was charged in March 2023 with one count of molestation.
He had been accused of molesting a woman by kissing her lips at around 4am on July 4, 2020. There is a gag order on the identity of the victim and the location of the alleged offence.
Both he and Ms Tan declined comment when asked about their reaction to the outcome of the case.
According to earlier reports, Dr Fernando was fired by NUS following an allegation of inappropriate behaviour. NUS also lodged a police report.
If convicted of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
Former NUS don Jeremy Fernando avoids jail sentence after compounding molestation charge
Dr Jeremy Fernando was charged in March 2023 with one count of molestation. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
SINGAPORE - Former National University of Singapore (NUS) lecturer Jeremy Fernando has avoided a potential prison sentence after his molestation charge was compounded, the terms of which were not mentioned in court.
Dr Fernando, who was also a Tembusu College fellow, was on Jan 29 granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal.
With this development, he cannot be charged again over the same offence.
The 44-year-old had been accused of outraging a woman’s modesty. Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty.
Compounding an offence requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with a payment or an apology.
Before agreeing to the terms, the public prosecutor will also need to consider the public interest, circumstances of the offence and whether there are any aggravating factors.
The Straits Times has reached out to the Attorney-General’s Chambers about the compensation terms.
Dr Fernando, who was represented by lawyer Tan Jun Yin from Trident Law Corporation, was charged in March 2023 with one count of molestation.
He had been accused of molesting a woman by kissing her lips at around 4am on July 4, 2020. There is a gag order on the identity of the victim and the location of the alleged offence.
Both he and Ms Tan declined comment when asked about their reaction to the outcome of the case.
According to earlier reports, Dr Fernando was fired by NUS following an allegation of inappropriate behaviour. NUS also lodged a police report.
If convicted of molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
Ahhhh....it look terrible on Coolie Genes Dinobu with Thunder Thights....Beware and Behold
Man accused of molesting woman during S’pore Grand Prix gets discharge amounting to acquittal
Briton George Ernest Hyde had been accused of molesting the woman at or along Connaught Drive at around 10.30pm on Sept 16, 2023. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
APR 03, 2024
SINGAPORE – A man accused of molesting a 20-year-old woman during the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023 was granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal on April 1.
This means that Briton George Ernest Hyde, 37, cannot be charged again with the same offence.
This came after the matter was compounded, a process that requires an agreement with the victim to have the matter compensated, usually with payment or an apology.
Before agreeing to the terms, the public prosecutor will also need to consider public interest, the circumstances of the offence and whether there are any aggravating factors.
Under the law, only certain offences can be compounded, such as causing hurt and outrage of modesty.
Without revealing details about the terms of the composition, the Attorney-General’s Chambers told The Straits Times: “Having reviewed the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as with the complainant’s agreement, the prosecution acceded to the accused’s request to have the matter compounded.
“After the composition was effected, the court granted the accused a discharge amounting to an acquittal on April 1.”
Mr Hyde had been accused of molesting the woman at or along Connaught Drive at around 10.30pm, on Sept 16, 2023.
For molestation, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, caned or receive any combination of such punishments.
Mr Hyde and Irishman Alan Michael Donoghue, 37, were first hauled to court in November 2023.
Donoghue was sentenced to six months and five weeks’ jail on Feb 23 after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assault.
He was with Mr Hyde and two other companions at the Padang to watch the F1 race and concerts on Sept 16, 2023.
They left the Padang at around 10.30pm and started walking along Connaught Drive.
A 25-year-old man and his three companions were walking in the opposite direction at around the same time. Believing he saw Mr Hyde touching one of his companions, the man immediately confronted the Briton.
Upon seeing the confrontation, Donoghue went up to the 25-year-old man and began gesticulating aggressively at him. Donoghue then pushed the man to the ground and punched his face multiple times.
In an unrelated case, the Irishman was at East Coast Park on June 24, 2023, for a friend’s wedding party, during which he drank alcohol. He left the event after midnight and went to a nearby drop-off point to take a Grab ride home, but got into the wrong car.
Donoghue assaulted the 32-year-old driver before raining blows on a 38-year-old man who tried to intervene.
Donoghue, who was then a global team leader in a company in Singapore, was arrested at the scene soon after.
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