'Honest' Malay cop keeps job: "He offered me $50 to keep
quiet" -
Although dis Malay S Sgt seems quite a silly clown: "'I did not
know what to do,' he said in court", I still think that he should
be rewarded for his honesty at not accepting the $50 and eventually
bringing his bad subordinate (and the other 4 who accepted $50) to
justice, unless there's more to his "unauthorized raid"- (See next
post for trial outcome or [link]).
Me finds it sad that 5 in 6 policemen in this case were 'corrupt',
n if not for the S Sgt refusing the $, they'd have been like the
govt mafia conducting "unauthorized raids", robbing other bandits
in the dark corners of Singapore.
Pls give Staff Sergeant Zulkifli Mohamad some sort of promotion for
his 'arrest' of 5 corrupt policemen even though he quite IMHO
bungled his (illegal) raid on the illegal foreign worker hic.
talent.
Perhaps our police are trying too hard to 'earn their keep' and
satisfy their bosses.
Perhaps our junior policemen need a pay increase along with more
on-job training- so they can better recognize contraband
cigarettes- and not get caught out smoking them themselves.
References:
- [Reuters: 5Apr2007]: "'If we don't do that ... corruption will
set in and we will become like many other countries,' Defence
Minister Teo Chee Hean was quoted as saying in the Straits Times
last week."- 'Singapore ministers set for million-dollar pay hike'
[link]
- [CNA: 3May2006] 'Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore is
at the top of its game because of a strong political system and
quality leadership' [YouTube/@1m10s]
'He offered me $50 to keep quiet'
Cop charged with corruption for looting seized items in a raid and
handing it to colleagues. -TNP
Thu, Apr 22, 2010
The New Paper
By Ho Lian-Yi
AFTER arresting an illegal immigrant, a police officer found $300
and a carton of contraband cigarettes.
Instead of turning in the loot, the cop shared the spoils with his
colleagues.
He allegedly did so to keep them quiet.
These allegations have landed Sergeant Elvilin Tay Sheo Tang, 36,
in hot water.
Tay faces five corruption charges for allegedly giving a $50 bribe
each to four colleagues.
He had offered a fifth the same amount but the offer was rejected,
reported The Straits Times.
The charges are serious enough that if convicted, Tay faces a fine
of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years on each of
the five corruption charges against him.
It all started after a raid at a forested area off Seletar Range on
Jan 24, 2008. The prosecution said that the raid itself was
unauthorised but during the operation, the illegal immigrant was
arrested.
Tay's group leader, Staff Sergeant Zulkifli Mohamad, accused Tay of
handing out the contraband cigarettes at a birthday party later
that day - at a police station.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli testified yesterday, on the first day of Tay's
trial.
Even though he knew what was inside the package, Staff Sgt Zulkifli
admitted he said nothing.
"I did not know what to do," he said in court.
This, despite saying a group leader should "act as a mentor" to his
colleagues.
The men had been working together for about five months in Team
Delta in Ang Mo Kio North Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC).
Staff Sgt Zulkifli said Tay had taken out the pack of contraband
cigarettes while they were seated at a table in the rest area at
Kebun Baru Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) between1pmand
1.30pm.
Also present were two other officers, Special Constable Ng Han Long
and Corporal Muhamad Hazim, who were also named as targets of the
bribes.
That was their official rest period.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli said Tay showed them a carton of Texas 5
cigarettes, about 40cm long, unopened in clear plastic
wrapping.
He said it looked to be contraband. Unlike cigarettes sold here,
the cancer advisory was missing from the cigarette boxes Tay showed
them.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli said he had asked Tay where he got the carton
from. That's when Tay said it came from the "forested area" and he
intended to give it to an NSman who was having his birthday that
day as a present. So what did you say to Tay, asked Assistant
Public Prosecutor S Puspha.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli said he could not recall if he replied or
not.
But he thought the cigarettes should have been seized
instead.
This was when Tay took out $50 and offered it to him, he told the
court.
He claimed Tay asked him if he would "keep quiet" ifhe took the
money.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli said he responded by asking him what he meant by
offering him money.
"He replied that the illegal immigrant had a lot of money, and he
had $300, enough to share with everyone," he said.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli added he did not see the $300, and he did not
know if the money came from the illegal immigrant.
He said he saw Tay then wrap the carton of illegal cigarettes with
old newspapers in the rest area. Money for cake
He said he eventually took the $50, passed to him by Constable Ng,
but said that he accepted it only to buy a cake for the
party.
He returned the money afterwards.
At around 3pm to 4pm, he went to the canteen in Ang Mo Kio North
NPC, where the birthday celebration for the NSman was being
held.
This was after he settled another case.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli said he saw that the birthday boy had a
rectangular box wrapped in newspaper, similar to the shape of the
contraband cigarettes.
Tay's lawyer Victor Yip, asked him why he didn't prevent the
contraband cigarettes from being given as a gift.
Staff Sgt Zulkifli told the court: "I did not know what to do
because what Sgt Tay was doing was wrong, and I knew if I were to
bring the matter up, he may face consequences."
He accepted Mr Yip's statement that after an arrest is made, there
should be an account given of the items seized.
Then why his hesitance?
"Because Tay is my colleague and it is different from other cases
where an arrrest was made," he said.
[email protected]
This article was first published in The New Paper.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/The%2BNe...20-211457.html