Plastic surgeon Woffles Wu fined S$1,000

[Imperial Shuttle]

Plastic surgeon Woffles Wu fined S$1,000
By Claire Huang | Posted: 13 June 2012 1353 hrs

SINGAPORE: Prominent plastic surgeon Woffles Wu Tze Liang has been ordered to pay the maximum fine of S$1,000 for getting an elderly employee to take the rap for him for a speeding offence.

The 52-year-old had abetted Mr Kuan Kit Wah, then 76, to provide false information to the police in November 2006.

The car, belonging to Wu, was travelling at 91-kilometres per hour along Adam Road when the speed limit is 70 kilometres per hour.

The court heard that Wu also made Mr Kuan take the rap for him for another speeding offence in September 2005.

This charge was taken into consideration during the sentencing on June 12.

Wu could also have been jailed up to six months and fined.

- CNA/ck/fa

 

[hokkien]

Can a 76 years old drive in singapore ?

 

[Dee Jay]

Judgment in Woffles Wu case in line with past cases: Law Minister

AsiaOne
Monday, Aug 13, 2012

SINGAPORE - Judgment meted out in plastic surgeon Woffles Wu's traffic offence is in line with other past cases, said Law Minister K Shanmugam today.

Dr Wu was fined $1,000 in June for getting an elderly employee, Mr Kuan Yit Wah, to take the rap for two speeding offences in 2005 and 2006.

Questions were raised about the case and on why the prosecution did not pursue stiffer charges. The Attorney-General Chambers (AGC) had earlier addressed them by stating that it was Mr Kuan, not Dr Wu, who had given false information to the police. There is also no evidence of Dr Wu giving payment or gratification to Mr Kuan.

At Monday's Parliament Session, MP for Aljunied GRC Ms Sylvia Lim asked whether the AGC's explanation had addressed "public concerns about the equitability of the legal system".

In his reply, Mr Shanmugam presented six cases between 2005 and 2006, where drivers had committed offences under the Road Traffic Act and were fined for wilfully giving false information to the police. Their offences ranged from speeding to driving without a licence.

Ms Lim pointed out some "aggravating factors" in Dr Wu's case: It was his idea to abet his employee to provide false information and it happened not once, but twice. She also said that there was a motive to shield himself from collecting traffic demerit points.

Mr Shanmugam replied that cases he cited also involved situations where there had been more than one offence and that the motive was to avoid being identified.

During their exchange, Mr Shangmugam called upon Ms Lim to "accept that the treatment given to Dr Wu falls within the broad framework of the six cases".

"I would have assumed that none of us here would say that the sentence should be heavier simply because Dr Wu is rich or famous, or perhaps some of us may not like him," he added.

He also urged the MPs to "leave politics aside" and to look at the facts if "we want to be honest and fair".

During the session, Mr Shangmugam also answered Assistant Professor Eugene Tan's questions on whether information regarding Dr Wu's offences was obtained specifically and directly from Dr Wu and if his working relationship with Mr Kuan was subjected to appropriate scrutiny.

Mr Shanmugam explained that Dr Wu was not interviewed by the Traffic Police in 2005 and 2006, as Mr Kuan had identified himself as the driver of the car, so there was no reason for the police to suspect that anything was amiss.

Such incidents were dealt with standard operating procedures, said the minister, and it is not required to scrutinise the relationship between the driver and owner of the car.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had received a complaint in July 2009 and after ascertaining that no corrupt exchanges had taken place, the investigations were taken over by the Traffic Police. After investigations, the prosecution decided to proceed against Dr Wu in Sep 2011.

Mr Shanmugam also explained that Mr Kwan was not prosecuted due to a range of factors, including his age, and also the fact that he had not received any monetary rewards. Mr Kuan was let off with a stern warning.

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[Imperial Shuttle]

Traffic Police confirm Woffles Wu committed speeding offences
Posted: 16 August 2012 1845 hrs

Dr Woffles Wu.

SINGAPORE: Investigations from the Traffic Police have established that prominent plastic surgeon Dr Woffles Wu was the driver of the car at two separate speeding offences in 2005 and 2006.

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on Thursday said investigations also showed that Dr Wu drove at 95km/h and 91km/h, which were above the speed limit of 70km/h on both occasions.

Dr Wu has taken up the offer of composition fines for his two speeding offences.

He has paid the fines and accumulated 12 demerit points for the two offences.

AGC said, in line with precedent cases, composition was offered to Dr Wu.

Dr Wu had earlier been charged with abetting his 82-year-old employee Kuan Kit Wah to give false information to the police about the commission of the speeding offences.

He was fined S$1,000 for getting Mr Kuan to take the rap.

Investigations showed there was no evidence of payment or gratification given to Kuan, who was given a stern warning.

AGC did not want to say how much Dr Wu was fined or if his licence has been suspended.

A check with the Singapore Traffic Police website showed that drivers get six demerit points for exceeding speed limit of the road by more than 20km/h up to 30km/h and for exceeding the speed limit for vehicle by more than 20km/h up to 30km/h.

In addition, a composition amount of S$150 for light vehicle and S$180 for heavy vehicle is imposed.

- CNA/fa