Notorious loan shark Ah Long San's driver was
sworn to secrecy.
But the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) needed Ah
Gee's help to track down the wanted criminal.
Several investigators had tried to speak to the chauffeur, but
he refused to reveal any information about his employer.
In the end, a resourceful CPIB officer, Deputy Director Teng
Khee Fatt, spoke to Ah Gee and gained his trust.
Moved after being called a "good man" by the officer, Ah Gee
finally gave the CPIB details that helped force Ah Long San's
hand.
The case involving Ah Long San is one of 18 cases highlighted in
CPIB's coffee table book titled The Journey - 60 Years of Fighting
Corruption in Singapore.
The 120-page publication was launched on tuesday on the bureau's
60th anniversary commemorative ceremony.
Besides the Ah Long San case, other high-profile cases involving
offenders from all walks of life are also included, such as former
ministers, policemen, football players and senior executives of
companies.
Feared criminal
Ah Long San was an infamous moneylender and criminal in the
1990s.
He owned a number of legitimate businesses like karaoke pubs,
but he was also involved in illegal moneylending.
Despite being a feared criminal, he was not caught for a long
time.
That was because those who had information about him preferred
to keep mum, fearing for their safety and the safety of their loved
ones.
And Ah Long San had moles within the police force who tipped him
off to raids.
In all, he managed to bribe nine crooked cops, all of whom ended
up behind bars.
The highest ranking was a former assistant superintendent of
police, who was 29 years old when he was jailed 18 months on Jan
11, 2000.
The former cop, who used to work as an air steward, first met
the loan shark at a 24-hour Geylang food stall in 1994.
Ah Long San later became aware of the younger man's desire to
join the police force and encouraged him to do so.
He also sponsored the ex-policeman's education in law.
Before he joined the police force in October 1997, the former
cop had accepted various sums of money from Ah Long San.
This included a S$20,000 advance in 1995 to complete his law
studies in Britain after he failed his second-year external law
examination here.
The younger man remained in close contact with the loan shark
through the years.
It was the former cop who introduced his other colleagues to Ah
Long San.
The ex-policeman was convicted on four corruption charges - for
receiving three bribes of S$1,000 each and one of S$5,000 between
November 1997 and January 1999.
He took the money and used his office and contacts to influence
the outcome of investigations.
And when the loan shark's brother was arrested, Ah Long San used
his moles in the police force to check on the status of the
case.
The crooked cops were also told to treat Ah Long San's sibling
nicely.
Ah Long San was later convicted and sentenced to 18 months' jail
for bribing a then-police officer.
Knowing that he could be serving more jail time, he went into
hiding after failing to appear in court when the appeal against his
18-month sentence was heard.
But The New Paper managed to score an exclusive interview with
him in June 2001 while he was on the run.
Speaking to TNP then, he said: "My jail term is 18 months. But I
still have several cases pending.... I will be in jail for a long
time."
But he was arrested on July 9, 2001, after he surrendered to the
authorities.
He was jailed for 10 years on Oct 4, 2001, when he was 45.
It was then the heaviest sentence meted out by the courts for
graft.
At The Launch
"It's far better to suffer the embarrassment and to keep the
system clean for the long term than to pretend that nothing has
gone wrong and to let the rot spread."
- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
"The latest cases are new forms of corruption, with sex
being exchanged for favourable outcomes. There is no end to human
ingenuity."
- Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew
