Workers' Party's James Gomez being investigated for
alleged criminal intimidation offence
Former candidate for Aljunied GRC stopped from leaving Singapore;
passport impounded
By Ahmad Osman
May 8, 2006
AsiaOne Special Political Correspondent
Singapore police are investigating a complaint by the Elections
Department alleging that Mr James Gomez, an opposition candidate in
the polls on May 6, committed two offences.
The department claimed he committed criminal intimidation and also
provided false information, a police spokesman said in a statement
today (May 
in response to queries
from the press.
No arrest has been made and no person has been detained in police
custody because of the probe, the spokesman said, alluding to some
reports that Mr Gomez had been arrested.
He added: Police are in the process of reviewing the evidence and
interviewing all relevant persons.
Mr Gomez was among five Workers Party (WP) candidates who fought
the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) in the hotly-contested
Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the general
election held last Saturday (May 6).
The WP team, headed by party chairman and law lecturer, Ms Sylvia
Lim, managed to secure 44 per cent of the votes. This was a
credible showing for an Opposition team but not enough to dislodge
its PAP competitor which was led by Foreign Minister George
Yeo.
The spotlight was directed at Mr Gomez at the hustings after an
incident at the Elections Department over a minority candidate
form.
He claimed that he submitted the form on April 24 but when he went
to collect the certificate, the department said that it did not
have his application. He waved his finger at the officials and was
seen saying: "You know what's the implication? Something must
happen. When will you call me?"
Subsequently, when the department reviewed a recording by its
closed circuit camera, it showed Mr Gomez putting the form in his
briefcase and walking away with it. It released this recording to
the media.
Mr Gomez later apologised, saying he was distracted.
But PAP leaders said the apology was inadequate and pressed the WP
to drop him from its slate of candidates.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Mr Wong Kan Seng issued a
statement detailing how Mr Gomez stage-managed the incident to
damage t he government and discredit the department.
Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew called Mr Gomez a liar and
challenged the WP man and the partys leaders to sue him if that
was untrue.
The police statement today confirmed that the police interviewed
several people, including department officials, Mr Gomez and Ms
Lim.
Mr Gomez was approached on Sunday as he was about to leave Changi
Airport to return to his job in Sweden as a policy analyst at the
Idea International think-tank based at Stockholm.
Police officers requested him to follow them back to the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) to help them in their investiga
tion.
He agreed and was questioned at the CID for eight hours. He said he
gave the police a full and comprehensive outline of what had
transpired.
He also said this morning that his passport has been seized and
impounded indefinitely.
Today is the last day of his leave from work. He is waiting, he
said, for a letter from the police to explain the situation to his
employer.
He will, he added, continue to extend his full co-operation to the
investigation by the police.
http://www.asiaone.com/specials/ge2006/news/20060508_story6_1.html
