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Former PA to Singapore Food Agency director-general charged with leaking statement on school closures
SingaporeFormer PA to Singapore Food Agency director-general charged with leaking statement on school closures
Husband and wife Khairul Annuar Zakaria and Noorain Jubli arriving at the State Courts on Apr 21, 2021. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
By Lydia Lam
21 Apr 2021 10:18AM(Updated: 21 Apr 2021 02:46PM)
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SINGAPORE: The former personal assistant to the director-general of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was charged on Wednesday (Apr 21) under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) with leaking an unreleased statement about school closures during the COVID-19 "circuit breaker" last year.
Noorain Jubli, 38, who was the personal assistant to the SFA director-general at the time of the offences, was charged with two counts of wrongful communication of information. SFA suspended her from her duties in April 2020.
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Her husband Khairul Annuar Zakaria, 39, was also given two charges under the OSA for wrongful communication and soliciting information.
Noorain had access to the SFA director-general's inbox, which had emails containing confidential information on the management of COVID-19 in Singapore, said the charge sheet.
Husband and wife Khairul Annuar Zakaria and Noorain Jubli arriving at the State Courts on Apr 21, 2021. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
The police said on Tuesday night that Noorain was a public servant and an authorised recipient of the information at the time of the offence. It was a draft media statement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education in early April last year announcing details of full home-based learning for schools, as well as the closure of pre-school and student care centres.
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Noorain is accused of taking a photo of her computer screen showing the statement and sending it to her husband via WhatsApp at about 9am on Apr 3, 2020.
Khairul allegedly forwarded the information to a WhatsApp chat group that had 13 members. He is also accused of asking his wife to take photos of a list of essential services that would continue operating during the circuit breaker period, and she allegedly sent him eight photos.
Husband and wife Khairul Annuar Zakaria and Noorain Jubli arriving at the State Courts on Apr 21, 2021. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
The court heard that the couple, who had no lawyers, intend to plead guilty, and a date was fixed for them to do so in June