FORMER full-time national serviceman Ee Jin Liang was convicted
on Wednesday of two graft charges and one charge under the Customs
Act for accepting contraband cigarettes as bribes from members of
the Indonesian navy last year.
The court heard that in return for the bribes, Ee, now 23, who
was a driver, transported illegal cigarettes from Changi Naval Base
to the carpark outside the base where a Singapore syndicate waited
to pick up the goods.
The total amount of excise duty and GST unpaid for these
cigarettes totalled over $3 million, while Ee received at least
$1,974 worth of cigarettes for doing the job.
A district court heard that Ee was assigned to Indonesian navy
personnel to handle their transportation needs.
Last August, Ee and his colleague Ang Zi Heng, who both held the
rank of a lance-corporal, were assigned to the Indonesian navy
which were here for a meeting at Changi Naval Base.
On the second night of their duty, Indonesian navy personnel
started loading cartons of contraband cigarettes onto the minibus
that Ee and Ang were driving. Both were then directed to drive the
minibus to a carpark outside the base.
There, the cartons were unloaded from the minibus onto waiting
lorries. In all, six trips were made. After the transfer, an
Indonesian navy officer gave a black trash back containing about 20
cartons of the cigarettes to Ee and Ang in return for their help.
Ang took about 13 cartons while Ee took the rest.
Ang, who faced only one charge, was sentenced to 16 months' jail
in March for his role in the incident. Ee, however, continued to
help transport the contraband cigarettes.
In October, Ee and a navy recruit were the assigned drivers to
the Indonesian navy again. Except this time, the Indonesians asked
them for a larger vehicle as they had more boxes to transport.
For doing this job, Ee received 20 cartons of contraband
cigarettes and a chest of tea.
Two months later, Ee's luck ran out when he was again asked to
transport boxes containing cigarettes out of Changi Naval Base by
the Indonesians.
He was arrested, along with five syndicate members, when he was
about to make his third trip out of the camp.
He will be sentenced next Wednesday. For the Customs charge, he
faces a fine of up to 20 times the duty and taxes evaded or jail of
up to three years or both. For the corruption charges, he faces a
maximum of five years' jail and a fine of $100,000.
--ST
