Daily Lessons from Life 10 January 2014 - Former ICA officers charged with corruption

"Former ICA officers charged with corruption - CNA 10 January 2014

SINGAPORE: Four former officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) were charged on Thursday with accepting bribes for facilitating or granting visit passes that would allow foreigners to prolong their stay in Singapore.

The men were ICA Specialists at Tuas Checkpoint. Their duties included assessing whether foreigners met entry requirements, and granting eligible visitors to Singapore visit passes.

The four men allegedly committed the offences in 2010 and 2011.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said investigations revealed that the four men were recruited by former ICA officer Mohammed Mustaffa Mohabat Ali in his scheme to grant visit passes to foreign women to extend their stay in Singapore in return for money.

The four men allegedly received amounts of between S$50 and S$100 for their parts in facilitating and assisting him.

At least one of the men -- Nor Hidayat -- has indicated he intends to claim trial.

Mustaffa was jailed 21 months in December last year for receiving and giving bribes.

The four men are out on bail of S$10,000 each, and their cases will be mentioned in court next month."

It is unfortunate that the 4 officers charged with committed the corrupt act were 'influenced' or 'recruited' by the one officer who went bad!

Lessons for me are:

1. officers in sensitive positions must have a heightened awareness that they will be tempted by 'try my luck' folks to provide favours and break the laws! This is especially so when dealing with foreigners who are used to their 'home country way of working comfortably in ambiguity'!;

2. Singapore has only laws and orders besides human capital to build its nation. So, the laws MUST be defended jealously and anyone who break this trust must pay heavily. This is especially so for people who are being entrusted to enforce the laws of the land!;

3. it is puzzling why the officers implicated would want to be involved for such trivial amount of money! The fine, if they are convicted is S$10k while their taking from the corrupt act were reported to be S$50-100 per assistance? Maybe they had done it 100 or 1000 times? Otherwise it simply does not make sense as the cost far outweighed the benefits!

I am sure these culprits are just the minority and that our ICA officers are men and women of great integrity by and large!