http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...iled-for-soliciting-sexual-bribe-from-8848374
Former Customs officer jailed for soliciting ‘sexual’ bribe from woman under investigation
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By Vanessa Paige Chelvan
15 May 2017 02:59PM (Updated: 15 May 2017 03:00PM)
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SINGAPORE: A former Singapore Customs officer was sentenced to three months' jail on Monday (May 15) for attempted corruption when he solicited "intimate acts" from a woman under investigation.
Investigation officer Jonathan Sasayiah, 31, had offered to reduce the woman’s composition sum in exchange for “intimate acts” with “no strings attached”.
The woman had been under investigation for possessing "uncustomed” cigarettes, an offence under the Customs Act, according to Sasayiah’s court documents.
The woman did not become intimate with Sasayiah but played along with the officer, collecting salacious WhatsApp messages he sent to her over several days in July 2014 as evidence. She later made a police report.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Navin Naidu said Sasayiah had “abused his position (as a public servant and law enforcement officer) by attempting to obtain intimate acts from a female offender he was investigating”.
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DPP Navin urged the court to impose at least five months’ jail. Sasayiah had “persistently” sent inappropriate messages to the victim, complimenting her looks. “His conduct was bridled with a cloak of purported sympathy for her financial predicament,” the DPP said.
He added that the woman was a vulnerable victim, a young mother of three in “dire financial straits”. “(Sasayiah’s) corrupt conduct served to exploit this”, DPP Navin said.
Sasayiah’s lawyer Patrick Fernandez urged the court to impose a fine of not more than S$10,000.
He said Sasayiah was only a “low-ranking” officer whose conduct “may not have caused serious damage to Singapore Customs and other public service institutions” because of his low rank.
Mr Fernandez disputed the prosecutor’s assertion that Sasayiah’s advances were “persistent”, saying the officer had only been “trying his luck”.
Another point of contention was why Sasayiah had deleted the WhatsApp messages from his mobile phone, which was seized by the police. A forensic analysis of the phone showed Sasayiah had “probably” deleted the messages.
DPP Navin said the officer had acted to “conceal evidence”. Mr Fernandez insisted his client had deleted the messages because he knew what he was doing was wrong and wanted to put a stop to it.
In convicting Sasayiah, District Judge Michelle Yap said that whatever the reason he deleted the messages – “whether because he was genuinely contrived or to erase the evidence” – he had the intention to stop what he was doing.
In sentencing him to three months’ jail, Judge Yap noted Sasayiah had ultimately not received the gratification he sought.
Sasayiah is on bail of S$15,000 and will start serving his sentence in two weeks.
For attempting to obtain a bribe, Sasayiah could have been jailed for up to five years, fined a maximum of S$10,000 or both.
Source: CNA/vc
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Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...iled-for-soliciting-sexual-bribe-from-8848374
Former Customs officer jailed for soliciting ‘sexual’ bribe from woman under investigation
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
By Vanessa Paige Chelvan
15 May 2017 02:59PM (Updated: 15 May 2017 03:00PM)
Share this content
SINGAPORE: A former Singapore Customs officer was sentenced to three months' jail on Monday (May 15) for attempted corruption when he solicited "intimate acts" from a woman under investigation.
Investigation officer Jonathan Sasayiah, 31, had offered to reduce the woman’s composition sum in exchange for “intimate acts” with “no strings attached”.
The woman had been under investigation for possessing "uncustomed” cigarettes, an offence under the Customs Act, according to Sasayiah’s court documents.
The woman did not become intimate with Sasayiah but played along with the officer, collecting salacious WhatsApp messages he sent to her over several days in July 2014 as evidence. She later made a police report.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Navin Naidu said Sasayiah had “abused his position (as a public servant and law enforcement officer) by attempting to obtain intimate acts from a female offender he was investigating”.
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DPP Navin urged the court to impose at least five months’ jail. Sasayiah had “persistently” sent inappropriate messages to the victim, complimenting her looks. “His conduct was bridled with a cloak of purported sympathy for her financial predicament,” the DPP said.
He added that the woman was a vulnerable victim, a young mother of three in “dire financial straits”. “(Sasayiah’s) corrupt conduct served to exploit this”, DPP Navin said.
Sasayiah’s lawyer Patrick Fernandez urged the court to impose a fine of not more than S$10,000.
He said Sasayiah was only a “low-ranking” officer whose conduct “may not have caused serious damage to Singapore Customs and other public service institutions” because of his low rank.
Mr Fernandez disputed the prosecutor’s assertion that Sasayiah’s advances were “persistent”, saying the officer had only been “trying his luck”.
Another point of contention was why Sasayiah had deleted the WhatsApp messages from his mobile phone, which was seized by the police. A forensic analysis of the phone showed Sasayiah had “probably” deleted the messages.
DPP Navin said the officer had acted to “conceal evidence”. Mr Fernandez insisted his client had deleted the messages because he knew what he was doing was wrong and wanted to put a stop to it.
In convicting Sasayiah, District Judge Michelle Yap said that whatever the reason he deleted the messages – “whether because he was genuinely contrived or to erase the evidence” – he had the intention to stop what he was doing.
In sentencing him to three months’ jail, Judge Yap noted Sasayiah had ultimately not received the gratification he sought.
Sasayiah is on bail of S$15,000 and will start serving his sentence in two weeks.
For attempting to obtain a bribe, Sasayiah could have been jailed for up to five years, fined a maximum of S$10,000 or both.
Source: CNA/vc
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Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...iled-for-soliciting-sexual-bribe-from-8848374
