ICA officer who received sex and over $3k in bribes convicted of 8 graft charges, acquitted of 4
Teo Hwee Peng was convicted on May 9, 2023, of eight graft charges for receiving cash and sex from foreign sex worker Liang Qinglan on multiple occasions in 2018 and 2019. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
SINGAPORE – An Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer has been convicted of corruption for receiving sex and cash from a foreign sex worker who wanted to be arrested so that she could buy time and continue working in Singapore.
The sex worker, Liang Qinglan, knew that foreigners issued with a special pass (SP) could remain here to assist with investigations.
The Chinese national concluded that as long as she was not deported, she could still work.
In earlier proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor David Menon said: “(Liang) knew it was wrong to provide sexual services to an immigration officer in exchange for his help obtaining an SP, but obliged because she wanted to secure an SP so that she could remain in Singapore to work.”
Liang, now 39, had entered Singapore on May 28, 2018, on a social visit pass that expired on July 27, 2018.
Some time between July and August 2018, Liang contacted ICA officer Teo Hwee Peng, 49. He said he could help her secure a special pass in return for an iPhone X.
Between July and October 2018, Teo invited himself to Liang’s home in Jurong West and they had sex.
After the encounter, Liang asked Teo for the procedure to extend her stay in Singapore. He said he would arrange for her to be arrested.
Teo, who previously worked in ICA’s Intel Ops Branch, had contacts who alerted him to potential immigration offenders.
He gave an informant Liang’s details, and the informant in turn alerted an ICA officer.
Liang was arrested on Oct 16, 2018. When asked whether she wanted to remain in Singapore to assist with a related ICA investigation, she agreed.
She paid a fine for overstaying and was issued an SP. Two days later, Teo and Liang met for a meal, which Liang paid for.
She also offered to buy Teo an iPhone, but he declined. Instead, he agreed to her offer of cash of between $2,100 and $2,200.
Later that month, Liang also lent Teo 5,000 yuan (S$957). He repaid this sum.
The prosecution said that she later lent him another 2,000 yuan, but he did not repay this amount.
