An NUS
law professor is being investigated by the CPIB for receiving sex
in exchange for giving better grades to an undergrad. It is
believed that this is the first such case in Singapore.
A New Paper report (July 24) mentioned that the professor who
teaches at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of
Law was arrested in April and is now out on bail. He could not be
contacted, despite a visit to his home. A woman, believed to be his
wife, declined to comment.
The student implicated in the investigation was not arrested,
but her statements were taken. Mr Singh explained that normally,
the recipient of benefits is investigated first. He explained: “The
prosecution has to first prove that the recipient received the gift
with a corrupt intent.”
Mr Chen Chee Yen, partner at Tan Rajah & Cheah, said: “If
the time between the benefit given and the corresponding benefit
received is short enough, it points more easily towards
corruption.”
Also important is the explanation of witnesses. If a
relationship exists between the two parties prior to the exchange
of benefits, corruption may not be as readily inferred, he
added.
TNP stated that it contacted NUS and the law faculty yesterday
to ask if they were aware that the professor, and several others
from the faculty, are assisting investigations being carried out by
the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
TNP also stated that it provided NUS and the law faculty with
details of what he is alleged to have done. An NUS spokesman was
said to have replied in an e-mail: “We know that there is an
ongoing investigation regarding an NUS staff member. We continue to
cooperate fully with the authorities. As the investigation is
ongoing, we are unable to provide further comments at this
time.”
As a matter of practice, CPIB does not comment on cases it is
investigating. So how did it all start? The allegations revolve
around a fourth-year female student who has since graduated. The
23-year-old law student took the elective course last year and
allegedly approached the professor to get a better grade.
A fourth-year student from NUS law school, who declined to be
named, said grades are “very important” when it comes to landing a
job, especially if one is aiming for a place in the
“top four” local firms. “In general, you’ve got to get a degree
with at least a second upper honours conferred on it before you
will get accepted,” said the student who has not found a job
yet.
TNP understands that in order to ace her paper, the student
implicated in the probe allegedly struck a deal with her professor
to have sex with him. But it was not a one-off incident.
She is said to have had sex with him on multiple occasions.
Mr Singh said that every occasion they had sex could count as
one charge against the professor – even if the student receives
only one A grade. “In this case, the prosecution will take into
consideration that one act of benefit to the giver was received in
deciding how many charges to proceed with,” headed.
The student, described as lively and ambitious, confided in some
friends about the alleged incident and thought the matter had gone
away. She is now a pupil with a law firm here. TNP tracked her
down, but the managing director of the firm declined our request to
interview her.
Subsequent calls to her mobile phone went unanswered. While her
Facebook account was active earlier in the day, it had been removed
last night (July 24). Staff members described the professor as a
charismatic teacher who graduated from a top overseas university
before he became a practising lawyer with a top law firm for
several years.
He switched to teaching in the 1990s. Things went awry for him
in April when the authorities summoned him and several staff
members to assist in the investigation. The others are not
implicated.
The professor was the only one placed under arrest and a
colleague subsequently bailed him out. When TNP contacted the
bailer, he declined to comment. There are practical measures that
professors can employ to stay out of controversy, said Associate
Professor Tan Wee Liang, who teaches strategic management at the
Singapore Management University.
“The rule of thumb is that when you’re instructing students, try
to keep it in a group and do it in a public place. If it’s a
one-on-one with someone of the opposite sex in an enclosed space
like an office, always keep your door open,” he said.
STOMP
