<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Oct 29, 2009
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Immigration officer charged <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->AN IMMIGRATION officer was charged on Thursday with eight counts of corruptly getting cash and loans amounting to $1,550 from a coffeeshop operator.
Mah Chin Phock, 54, a senior immigration and checkpoint specialist, allegedly accepted the bribes from Chia Ngee Seng in 2007 in return for facilitating the entry of female Chinese nationals into Singapore via Woodlands checkpoint.
Chia, 47, who had provided U-turn services to Chinese nationals, was given 10 months last week on two counts of bribing Mah and another immigration officer.
Under the scheme, he would arrange for the Chinese nationals to travel from Singapore to Johor Baru and back, through Woodlands, for extending their social visit passes.
A pre-trial conference has been set for Mah on Dec 3.
If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years on each charge.
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Immigration officer charged <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->AN IMMIGRATION officer was charged on Thursday with eight counts of corruptly getting cash and loans amounting to $1,550 from a coffeeshop operator.
Mah Chin Phock, 54, a senior immigration and checkpoint specialist, allegedly accepted the bribes from Chia Ngee Seng in 2007 in return for facilitating the entry of female Chinese nationals into Singapore via Woodlands checkpoint.
Chia, 47, who had provided U-turn services to Chinese nationals, was given 10 months last week on two counts of bribing Mah and another immigration officer.
Under the scheme, he would arrange for the Chinese nationals to travel from Singapore to Johor Baru and back, through Woodlands, for extending their social visit passes.
A pre-trial conference has been set for Mah on Dec 3.
If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years on each charge.
