Do you have trust in the Singapore police force?

[Leckmichamarsch]

DO U TRUST SNAKEMUGAM?

 

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$3,000 fine for police officer who used criminal force on two NSF​

Yick Wai Hong pleaded guilty to two charges of using criminal force. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
Osmond Chia

Apr 13, 2022

SINGAPORE - A police officer received the maximum fine of $3,000 on Wednesday (April 13) after pleading guilty to two charges of using criminal force on two full-time national servicemen (NSF) in 2020.
Yick Wai Hong, now 47, had in two separate incidents forced the heads of both NSFs down towards his waist during night duty at a police facility.
This caused one victim's forehead to touch Yick's groin area, while in the other incident, the second NSF's head came close.
Yick, who was suspended by the police from April 8 last year, was earlier charged with molestation, which had been amended before Wednesday's hearing.
The Straits Times understands that he is still with the police force.
The victims and their workplace cannot be identified owing to a gag order to protect their identities.
The court heard that Yick, who served as a station inspector, had numerous commendations over a 25-year career.

His duty then as the assistant duty officer required him to monitor surveillance equipment, and there were a team of NSFs under his charge.
During a night shift on the morning of Jan 23, 2020, Yick asked an NSF, then 21, if he wanted to take a break from duty, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Yen Seow.
The NSF accepted the offer, but as he stood up, Yick shoved his head towards his waist. The incident was caught on a surveillance camera.

"The victim was shocked, disgusted and humiliated. His face was a finger's length away from (Yick's) groin," DPP Tan said.
The NSF did not report the incident until Jan 24, when he described the incident in a feedback form for NSFs about to complete their service. He later reported the matter to the police.
When the victim's superiors asked the other NSFs if they had any similar encounters, they found that Yick had done the same to another NSF, then 23, during another night shift that month or before.
The NSF had reached out to take some snacks from a table and Yick, who was leaning against the table near him, forced his head downwards such that his forehead touched Yick's groin area.

Seeking a fine that was left up to the judge's decision, DPP Tan said that Yick abused his position of trust, letting the junior officers down.
He added: "(Juniors) are typically worried about speaking out about their superiors, and this is telling in that the first victim did not raise the issue to his superiors until an ORD (operationally ready date) form was given to him."
Seeking a fine of $1,600 for Yick, defence lawyer Marshall Lim said that there was no sexual intent behind Yick's actions, adding that the incident was a "painful fall from grace" for the officer with numerous commendations.
Mr Lim said: "He was not motivated by lust; he wanted to remind the two younger officers of the need to perform their duties with diligence.
"But he appreciates that he ought not to have lashed out using force."
DPP Tan replied, saying investigations did not show that the victims had been negligent in their duties in any way.
In a statement to ST on Wednesday, the police said: “Station Inspector Yick was interdicted from service since April 8, 2021. Following his conviction on Wednesday, the police has commenced internal action against him.”
The police spokesman added: “Officers of the Singapore Police Force are expected to uphold the law and maintain high standards of discipline and integrity. We deal with officers who break the law severely, including charging them in court.”
The maximum penalty for using criminal force on a person is three months' jail and a fine of $1,500.

 

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Lawyer charged with forgery was police officer at the time alleged offences were committed​

Willjude Vimalraj Raymond Suras' alleged forgeries concerned 38 documents across 21 investigation papers. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent


JUN 21, 2022


SINGAPORE - A lawyer, charged on Tuesday (June 21) with multiple counts of forgery, was an officer from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) when he allegedly committed the offences.
Willjude Vimalraj Raymond Suras' alleged forgeries concerned 38 documents across 21 investigation papers.
They are said to involve concluded criminal proceedings, coroner's matters and criminal cases which did not give rise to prosecution.
Willjude, now 31, resigned from the force on April 20, 2019, before the completion of police investigation into the alleged forgeries and became a lawyer after that.
A search on the Ministry of Law's website reveals that he is a legal counsel at a firm called Advance Law.
Willjude, who was handed 38 forgery charges on Tuesday, is accused of committing the offences in 2018 and 2019.
According to court documents, he allegedly committed the bulk of the offences at Woodlands Police Division in Woodlands Street 12.

He is also accused of one count of intentionally giving false evidence during a judicial proceeding on Dec 22, 2020.
He is said to have made a false statement in his affidavit for admission to the Singapore Bar, that he was not the subject of any pending investigations here.
In an unrelated case, a policeman, 38, was also charged on Tuesday with multiple counts of forgery.


Kenny Cheong Chyuan Lih's alleged acts of forgery led to eight reopened coroner's inquiries.
Each man was offered bail of $15,000 and their cases have been adjourned to Aug 2.
In a joint statement, the SPF and Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) said the pair's alleged acts of forgery came to light following internal investigations by the police.
The agencies said: "After the discovery of discrepancies in some of the documents, all the cases investigated by (Cheong and Willjude) were thoroughly reviewed by SPF and (AGC), to uncover any other purported wrongdoings."

Kenny Cheong Chyuan Lih is accused of 39 counts of forgery. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS


The agencies also said that coroner's matters which Willjude had investigated did not proceed to the coroner's inquiry stage. "A review by AGC found that the decisions not to proceed with (inquiries) in these cases were correctly made and were not affected by the forgeries."
As for the affected concluded criminal proceedings linked to the pair, AGC had reassessed all the evidence including statements from witnesses.
It then determined that there was sufficient evidence to support all the criminal convictions. All parties concerned were also notified.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Coroner concludes final inquiry after 8 of them reopened due to forgery allegations
Forged statements in 7 out of 8 reopened coroner's inquiries had no impact on case outcomes
AGC also reviewed all the criminal cases linked to the pair that did not give rise to prosecution.
In one case, it determined that the decision to take no further action against an individual was not supported by objective evidence.
It then directed for a stern warning to be given to the person whose particulars were not disclosed in the joint statement. Details about the case he or she was linked to were also not revealed.
The two agencies did not disclose in their statement if this particular case involved Cheong or Willjude.

 

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Is the police force overrun by corrupt ah nehs who forge statements and then told their fellow villagers that they can do the same?

Policewoman jailed five months for forging statement of alleged molestation victim​

Kalaivani Kalimuthu, who has been suspended from the Singapore Police Force since Sept 14, 2017, outside the court after she was found guilty of committing forgery on Dec 27, 2018. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

JAN 8, 2019

SINGAPORE - When a senior police officer was unable to meet an alleged molestation victim to interview her, she decided to speed up the investigation by forging the woman's statement.
Kalaivani Kalimuthu's account gave the impression that the alleged victim did not mind being touched and recommended that no further action be taken.
But when the woman was interviewed later, she denied making the statement - and the senior staff sergeant's deceit was uncovered.
Kalaivani was sentenced to five months' jail on Tuesday (Jan 8) after pleading guilty last month to a forgery charge.
She was an investigation officer at Ang Mo Kio Police Division between September 2011 and November 2016.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew said the alleged victim had lodged a police report and provided a statement on March 27, 2016, saying she had been molested.
Kalaivani was assigned to the case the following month.

She was supposed to interview the woman but "encountered difficulty in arranging an interview", the court heard.
She then forged the statement in her office in November 2016. In the statement, Kalaivani said that the woman had also touched the alleged molester and did not mind being touched herself.
Kalaivani forged the woman's signature then forwarded the investigation papers to her officer-in-charge on Nov 25, 2016, recommending that no further action be taken .
The case was later reassigned to Senior Investigation Officer (SIO) Pang Shijie.
In December 2016, the investigation papers were sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), recommending that the alleged victim be warned for providing false information.
But the AGC directed the police to record a further statement from the woman, who denied making the earlier statement when SIO Pang interviewed her in June 2017.
There was also no record of the woman visiting the station on the date Kalaivani purportedly recorded her statement.
Kalaivani has been suspended from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) since Sept 14, 2017.


In a statement, the SPF said other cases which she had been involved in were relooked to determine whether she had acted in a manner prejudicial to investigations. The statement added that officers are expected to uphold the law and maintain the highest standards of conduct and integrity. "We deal severely with officers who break the law, including charging them in court."
For forgery, Kalaivani could have been jailed for up to four years and fined.

 

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Coroner concludes final inquiry after 8 of them reopened due to forgery allegations​

All eight reopened inquiries are said to be linked to a police officer who allegedly forged statements in the cases. PHOTO: ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent


APR 1, 2022

SINGAPORE - Eight coroner's inquiries had to be reopened following allegations of forgery by the then investigation officer (IO) and the final one was concluded on Friday (April 1).
This last inquiry involved the death of Mr Chew Chia Ngiak, 66, in 2016. It was reopened after two earlier statements from witnesses were found to have been falsified.
All eight reopened inquiries are said to be linked to Station Inspector Kenny Cheong Chyuan Lih.
The policeman, who has been suspended since Dec 27, 2018, allegedly forged statements of people involved in the eight cases, including eyewitnesses and family members of the dead.
All the affected inquiries involved fatal crashes. They had been handled by the then State Coroner Marvin Bay, and he had to look into the cases again.
The original inquiries had taken place between 2016 and 2018.
Coroner Bay had handled the original inquiry into Mr Chew's death in 2017.

He said in his latest findings on Friday that the contents of one of the forged statements, taken from a 12-year-old boy, had no impact on the case.
This was because the child had "consistently asserted that he had not witnessed the collision".
Coroner Bay added: "The account of the other witness... was far more material... and a genuine conditioned statement was recorded on Sept 6 (last year).

"Even though the initial conditioned statement of this witness was forged by IO Kenny Cheong, investigations reveal that he had created the version depicted in the forged statement from material he had obtained in actual, albeit verbal, interviews with (her), which he then transcribed and converted into the forged conditioned statement."
Station Insp Cheong's alleged offences came to light following investigations by the Internal Affairs Office of the Singapore Police Force.
Seven cases were completed in the rehearings last year. Six were heard on Oct 18 and Coroner Bay was satisfied that there had been no miscarriage of justice for them.
The seventh case was heard on Oct 19 and the court heard that Station Insp Cheong's alleged acts of forgery had no impact on its findings.

As for Mr Chew's case, the court heard that he had worked as a fishmonger and owned at stall in Hougang.
Shortly before the accident in the wee hours of Sept 4, 2016, Mr Chew was driving a lorry at a signalised junction of Admiralty Road West and Woodlands Avenue 8.
His vehicle later hit a car driven by a teenage probationary driver who had obtained his licence in May that year. Mr Chew was later found lying on the road.
Coroner Bay said: "The evidence... strongly suggests that Mr Chew was not wearing his seat belt prior to the event and was thrown out from the cabin from the front passenger window from the force of the impact."
Mr Chew was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.46am on Sept 4, 2016.
Station Insp Cheong is said to have forged the statements of two passengers who were in the car - the 12-year-old boy and his sister, who was the teenage driver's girlfriend at the time.
On Friday, the coroner found Mr Chew's death to be an "unfortunate traffic misadventure".
In an earlier statement, the police said they were unable to comment on Station Insp Cheong's case as investigations were ongoing.

 

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All 8 reopened coroner's cases involved fatal crashes, with up to 4 allegedly forged statements each​

The statements were allegedly forced by the then investigation officer, who has been suspended since Dec 27, 2018. PHOTO: ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

OCT 19, 2021

SINGAPORE - All eight coroner's inquiries that were reopened over allegations of forgery by the then investigation officer (IO) of the cases involved fatal road accidents.
A district court heard on Tuesday (Oct 19) that the officer, Station Inspector Kenny Cheong Chyuan Lih, is alleged to have forged between one and four statements per case.
His alleged offences came to light following investigations by the Internal Affairs Office of the Singapore Police Force.
The policeman, who has been suspended since Dec 27, 2018, allegedly forged statements by people including eyewitnesses and family members of the dead.
All of the affected inquiries had been handled by then State Coroner Marvin Bay, and he has to look into the cases again. The original inquiries had taken place between 2016 and 2018.
Seven cases have since been completed in the rehearings. Six cases were heard on Monday, and Coroner Bay was satisfied there had been no miscarriage of justice for them.
The inquiry into the death of security officer Tan Choon Lai, 56, involved four allegedly forged statements - the most in the eight cases.

He was riding a motorcycle along a slip road of the Pan-Island Expressway into Bukit Timah Expressway at around 12.40am on July 10, 2017, when he collided with a taxi before hitting a guard railing.
He was taken to the National University Hospital and died of multiple injuries later that morning.
Station Insp Cheong is said to have forged two statements from the taxi driver and one each from Mr Tan's sister and an eyewitness. Three of the statements were allegedly forged after he had conversations with the trio.

Coroner Bay said Mr Tan was later found to have 233mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. This is almost three times the legal limit of 80mg.
He added: "Mr Tan's grossly elevated postmortem blood alcohol level... would have likely caused severe intoxication, such as drowsiness, loss of coordination or poor judgment.
"Mr Tan's demise is... a traffic misadventure and follows a number of cases of individuals who have suffered fatal collisions... while inebriated."
The seventh case was heard on Tuesday morning and the court heard that Station Insp Cheong's alleged acts of forgery had no impact on its findings.
This case involved another security officer, Shaik Shamshudin E. K. Shaik Hussain, 59, who was crossing a road near the junction of Victoria Street and Arab Street on Dec 29, 2015, when a taxi hit him.
He was taken to the Singapore General Hospital and died of multiple injuries two days later.
Station Insp Cheong is later said to have forged three statements linked to the incident - one each from the taxi driver, an eyewitness and Mr Shaik's daughter.

On Tuesday, Coroner Bay said the contents of the forged documents linked to the driver and the eyewitness were found to be similar to earlier statements taken by another IO.
"These statements, which were verified to have come from the actual witnesses, had also deposed that Mr Shaik had failed to yield the right of way to the incoming traffic, resulting in the accident... I reaffirm my finding that Mr Shaik's demise is a most unfortunate traffic misadventure."
As for the matter involving Mr Shaik's daughter, the court heard that she had never seen the statement she had purportedly given Station Insp Cheong.
The eighth and final case involved a 66-year-old motorist who was killed following an accident in Woodlands in September 2016.
His family members were in court on Tuesday and highlighted issues of concern, such as the speed of the vehicles involved in the case.
Coroner Bay did not give his findings on this case, adding: "As the concerns included questions of whether the investigations were truly complete... the case was adjourned for... further investigations to be completed."
In an earlier statement, the police said they were unable to comment further on Station Insp Cheong's case as investigations are ongoing.

 

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Jail for ex-police officer who forged documents to avoid investigating cases​

Norazly Joihani committed 60 offences in all between January 2009 and November 2010, comprising mainly forgery. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Ian Poh


JAN 8, 2015

SINGAPORE - A former investigation officer who repeatedly forged work documents to avoid having to perform his duties was jailed for 15 months on Thursday, in a unique case.
Then a sergeant attached to the Bedok police division's investigation branch, Norazly Joihani, 33, committed 60 offences in all between January 2009 and November 2010. These comprised mainly forgery.
He tampered with daily monitoring returns lists, which show police reports and the corresponding assignments and as a result did not need to start investigations into the matters as directed by his superior. Follow-up action into the 32 cases involved, including six unnatural deaths that required coroner's inquiries and 18 active matters, was not carried out until his actions came to light.
Norazly, whose services were terminated in March last year, also forged the acknowledgement forms for the return of case exhibits that had been seized during investigation. He returned the acknowledgment forms to the division store and the rightful owners never got their property returned to them. He kept the items instead.
Passing sentence, District Judge Toh Yung Cheong said Norazly's actions had diminished public trust and confidence in the efficiency of the police force here, and had undermined the integrity of Singapore's criminal justice system as a whole.
The maximum penalty for forgery is a jail term of four years and a fine. Forgery for the purpose of cheating carries up to 10 years in jail and a fine.

 

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5 months' jail for policeman who helped to intentionally pervert the course of justice​

Quak Tiong Beng was sentenced to five months' jail on June 8, 2021. PHOTO: CORRUPT PRACTICES INVESTIGATION BUREAU

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent


JUN 8, 2021

SINGAPORE - A police staff sergeant was on duty at the Police Cantonment Complex (PCC) lock-up when he took instructions from a remandee and made a phone call to a witness on the man's behalf.
The officer, Quak Tiong Beng, phoned Mr Sae Pang Yan Shuo and relayed Casper Ang's instructions for Mr Sae to give false information to an investigating officer handling Ang's case.
The 42-year-old Singaporean policeman, who has since been suspended, was sentenced on Tuesday (June 8) to five months' jail after he admitted that he had helped Ang, 32, to intentionally pervert the course of justice.
Quak was caught red-handed after he called Mr Sae while the latter was in the middle of an interview with an officer from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD).
Mr Sae's phone was on speaker mode and the CAD officer heard Quak's instructions.
Defence lawyer Michael Yap said that Quak had not obtained any gain or reward from Ang for taking part in the offence.
Ang is accused of multiple offences, including those under the Computer Misuse Act. His case is pending.

The court heard that Quak joined the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 1999. Years later, he followed Ang's account on live video streaming social media application Bigo.
On April 8, 2019, the police arrested Ang over his alleged links to fraudulent credit card transactions. He was then remanded at the PCC lock-up.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tay Zhi Jie said that in his interviews with the police, Ang lied to a CAD investigating officer, claiming that one of his accomplices was a man called "Boon Hien" who had died in 2018.

The DPP added: "Casper did so as he thought that he would be able to shift the blame for the scheme to the deceased Boon Hien, knowing that the CAD would not be able to verify his version of events with the deceased.
"Casper knew that Boon Hien was not an accomplice and was not involved in the fraudulent scheme."
On April 23, 2019, Ang was in the lock-up when he spotted Quak and asked him to call Mr Sae on his behalf before giving him Mr Sae's mobile phone number.
DPP Tay said Ang asked Quak to tell Mr Sae that if an investigating officer showed him a photo, he was to say that he had seen the person in the photo before but could not confirm who he was.
"Casper did not tell Quak the identity of the person in the photograph or the exact details of the investigations against him," the DPP added.

 

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Missing teen Felicia Teo: Man discharged for murder but expected to plead guilty to leaving corpse​

Ahmad Danial Mohamed Rafa'ee, who had been accused of murdering Ms Felicia Teo, leaving Changi Prison on June 27, 2022. PHOTOS: ARIFFIN JAMAR, ST FILE

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
UPDATED

June 28, 2022

SINGAPORE - A man who was charged with the murder of a 19-year-old woman who went missing on June 30, 2007, was on Monday (June 27) given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for the murder charge.
But Ahmad Danial Mohamed Rafa’ee, 37, is expected to plead guilty next week to unlawfully depositing the corpse of Ms Felicia Teo Wei Ling in a public place.
Those granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal can still be prosecuted for the related crime if relevant information or evidence were to emerge later.
Court documents did not disclose how Ms Teo, 19, died and who was responsible for her death.
Thirteen years after she went missing, Ahmad was accused of killing her in a flat at Block 19 Marine Terrace.
Another man, Mr Ragil Putra Setia Sukmarahjana, then 18, was also allegedly involved and the prosecution called for such a discharge for Ahmad as Mr Ragil, an Indonesian, is still at large.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Yang Ziliang and R. Arvindren said the prosecution is still waiting for Mr Ragil's arrest.

They told District Judge Eugene Teo: "Authorities have made and continue to make reasonable efforts to trace the co-accused. The Indonesian authorities have been informed and they are in the process of tracing (him).
"This is not a case where police have been trying for many years to trace the co-accused. The tracing of him only began after the accused was arrested 1½ years ago and new facts came to light during the investigations."
There is also no evidence that Mr Ragil is dead, said the DPPs.

Ahmad is represented by lawyers Shashi Nathan, Tania Chin and Laura Yeo from Withers KhattarWong.
On Monday, Mr Nathan urged the court to grant Ahmad a discharge amounting to an acquittal, which would mean he cannot be charged again with the same offence.
The lawyer said the prosecution's proposal would mean his client would have a murder charge hanging over him indefinitely.
He added: "They are not just asking for a pound of flesh. They want you to lay your head on a wooden board and wait for the guillotine to fall."

Ahmad Danial Mohamed Rafa'ee (left) leaving Changi Prison Complex at around 8.20pm on June 27, 2022. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
The lawyer said Ahmad and his family had gone through a terrible time, and his wife had to move out of her home as people had been bothering her.
He said Ms Teo's body had not been found, noting the authorities had instead found a skull fragment where Ahmad allegedly left her corpse around Punggol Track 24 on or around June 30, 2007.
Mr Nathan said the prosecution had told him they wanted to send the fragment to the United States for mitochondrial testing, which could involve DNA-related tests.
The lawyer said he had not received any updates on the matter.

Judge Teo granted Ahmad a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.
He noted Mr Nathan's concerns about having the murder charge hanging over Ahmad, and added he had sympathies on the matter.
The judge said there may be a review in the future and accepted the prosecution's case.
He said: "Based on what we have now, I agree there is no basis for granting an outright discharge amounting to an acquittal."
Ahmad was handed six more charges on Monday and Mr Ragil is named in all of them.

The pair allegedly deposited Ms Teo's corpse around Punggol Track 24 on or around June 30, 2007 and allegedly misappropriated some of her belongings like her mobile phone.
They also allegedly intentionally omitted to furnish information about Ms Teo's sudden or unnatural death to the authorities even though they were legally bound to do so.
On June 30, 2007, they allegedly fabricated false evidence by placing her mobile phone around East Coast Park.
And either one or both of them allegedly made calls to Ms Teo's mobile phone to create the false impression they believed she was alive even though they knew she had already died.
In July 2007, the men allegedly gave false information to two police officers by claiming they did not know what had happened to her after she left the Marine Terrace flat the previous month.

Closed-circuit television footage showed Ms Felicia Teo entering a lift in Block 19 Marine Terrace with two men. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLEMAPS
Ahmad, who had been in remand since his arrest in 2020, was offered bail of $20,000 on Monday.
He is expected to plead guilty to his latest charges on July 6.
Ahmad and Mr Ragil were believed to have been the last to see Ms Teo alive when she went to the Marine Terrace flat that night.
The three are said to have been friends and studied at Lasalle College of the Arts, according to their online profiles.
Ms Teo's family last saw her on June 29, 2007, when she left her home in Bras Basah.
Closed-circuit television footage later showed her entering a lift in a Marine Terrace housing block with two men.

The police said previously they had classified the case as a missing persons case in 2007 as they had found no facts to link the two men to Ms Teo's disappearance.
After years of review, the case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 2020.
A breakthrough came after the CID found belongings believed to have been with Ms Teo when she was reported missing.
Ahmad was arrested and he was charged with murder on Dec 17, 2020.
Offenders convicted of murder face the death sentence.

 

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Forum: Not easy for private-hire drivers to seek redress for fare evasion​

SEP 21, 2022

I am a private-hire driver who has finally decided to seek redress after experiencing my fourth case of fare evasion this year.
Fare evasion is an offence, but my attempts to lodge a report have not been successful.
The ride-hailing operator insists that it cannot resolve the case without being informed in writing by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to do so.
The police informed me that they would not be investigating my case and could only lodge a report on my behalf.
The LTA does not permit walk-in appointments, and also does not provide the option of making an appointment online for fare evasion cases. I called its hotline and managed to speak to an employee after a long wait, but was told that he could not make an appointment on my behalf. What ensued was me being bounced from one employee to another over the next four days.
After speaking to other private-hire drivers, it seems cases of fare evasion are not uncommon, but many do not want to go through the hassle of corresponding with the LTA. Given the under-reporting, I wonder how pervasive the offence is.
Why is fare evasion within the LTA's purview when it seems ill equipped to resolve such cases?

Ng Li Meng

 

[rushifa666]

There is no fare that you are unable to collect with a baseball bat

Forum: Not easy for private-hire drivers to seek redress for fare evasion​

SEP 21, 2022

I am a private-hire driver who has finally decided to seek redress after experiencing my fourth case of fare evasion this year.
Fare evasion is an offence, but my attempts to lodge a report have not been successful.
The ride-hailing operator insists that it cannot resolve the case without being informed in writing by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to do so.
The police informed me that they would not be investigating my case and could only lodge a report on my behalf.
The LTA does not permit walk-in appointments, and also does not provide the option of making an appointment online for fare evasion cases. I called its hotline and managed to speak to an employee after a long wait, but was told that he could not make an appointment on my behalf. What ensued was me being bounced from one employee to another over the next four days.
After speaking to other private-hire drivers, it seems cases of fare evasion are not uncommon, but many do not want to go through the hassle of corresponding with the LTA. Given the under-reporting, I wonder how pervasive the offence is.
Why is fare evasion within the LTA's purview when it seems ill equipped to resolve such cases?

Ng Li Me

 

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F**king screw-up

"On Friday, Justice Chua Lee Ming asked the DPP if the investigation officer had viewed the in-car camera footage from the Ongs' vehicle. The prosecutor told the judge that the footage viewed by the officer was without audio, and added that the police are looking into improving the procedures."

Court quashes conviction of man who took rap for daughter in traffic accident​

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

OCT 7, 2022

SINGAPORE - A 56-year-old man took the rap for his daughter after a traffic accident and was jailed for five days, after he falsely admitted he was driving the car they were in when it collided with a motorcyclist.
The lie came to light when lawyers engaged by the victim to make a civil claim alerted the police to the audio recording of the in-car camera, which suggested that David Ong had told his daughter Audrey immediately after the collision that he would take her place.
The pair later admitted to the police that the daughter was driving the car when the accident occurred.
On Friday, the High Court granted an application by the prosecution to quash David Ong's conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Santhra Aiyyasamy said the conviction was based on David Ong's wrongful admission and that he had perverted the course of justice by taking the blame for an offence on behalf of another person.
The prosecutor said David Ong had deceived the court system to protect his daughter and that if he were, subsequently, to be charged and sentenced for the correct offences, this would be a direct consequence of his deception.
"The correct persons must be punished for the correct offences," she said in written submissions.

The accident took place in Tampines Avenue 2 towards Tampines Avenue 1 at about 10pm on Oct 15, 2019.
David Ong told the first responding police officer that he was the driver of the car. He maintained the false account in his police statements and claimed that his negligence and fatigue from working long hours resulted in the accident.
On Sept 28, 2020, he pleaded guilty in the State Courts to a charge of causing grievous hurt by a negligent act which endangers life or the personal safety of others.
He admitted that he made a U-turn without stopping at the stop line to check for oncoming vehicles.
He admitted that he collided with a motorcycle that was travelling in the opposite direction, causing the motorcyclist, Mr Muhammad Syawal Abdullah, to suffer a wrist fracture.
The in-car camera footage of a separate car that captured the collision was played in court.
David Ong was sentenced to five days' jail and a two-year driving ban.


Mr Syawal's lawyers alerted the police to the audio recording in April 2022.
On Friday, Justice Chua Lee Ming asked the DPP if the investigation officer had viewed the in-car camera footage from the Ongs' vehicle.
The prosecutor told the judge that the footage viewed by the officer was without audio, and added that the police are looking into improving the procedures.
When Justice Chua asked David Ong if he had anything to say, the man admitted that he was at fault.

 

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Forum: Do more to deter touts who take advantage of accident victims to jack up costs​

Dec 24, 2022

I am a lawyer who handles road accident claims. Road touting has become a serious and, unfortunately, profitable business.
These touts swoop in right after an accident. They know which roads are the busiest and where accidents are more likely to occur.
Their offer of help comes with a few enticements. First, they will make things convenient and settle everything. Second, they have workshops and surveyors, sometimes unqualified ones, who are prepared to jack up repair costs for a bigger cut. And third, the car owners can get a complete makeover of their cars even for minor dents. At times, willing car owners are paid for playing along.
Indeed, where there’s honey, the bees will come. However, the cost to justice is paid by the accident victims, the insurance companies and car owners who pay car insurance premiums.
When such bogus claims rise, insurance payouts increase. Over time, premiums also rise. It’s a shared financial woe because of the acts of a few rogue freeloaders.
Most accident victims are also being exploited. These touts strike when victims are most vulnerable, right after a collision. They hijack from them what is most crucial: the victim’s autonomy. In turn, they offer them “peace of mind” in the guise of a rescuer, when what they are after is a lucrative payout.
I am sure that some are jailed for making these fraudulent claims. But a strong message of deterrence has not been sent, since cases appear to still be rampant.

I have clients who shared with me that they were led from the accident site to the workshops, then to a police post to lodge a report, and then made to sign documents without knowing their full content.
I feel that more has to be done in this area. And I hope this raises awareness for those who may be the next victims of such touts.

Michael Han Hean Juan

 

[bushtucker]

Somebody should compile all these criminal court stories into a book. Macam "true singapore ghost stories".

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Senior lawyer who billed client $1.34m suspended for overcharging, flouting court order​

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Jan 10, 2023


SINGAPORE - A lawyer with 29 years’ experience overcharged a client by billing the company $1.34 million in professional fees for work that was later assessed to be worth $288,000.
Mr Syn Kok Kay, who was the sole proprietor of Patrick Chin Syn & Co, also flouted a court order to submit his bill of costs within 14 days after the client asked the court to assess the bills he rendered.
On Tuesday, Mr Syn was suspended for three years and nine months by the Court of Three Judges for overcharging and for non-compliance with a court order.
The court said in a judgment written by Justice Steven Chong: “It is clear to us that the extent of the overcharge was egregious.”
The court noted that Mr Syn had charged his client JWR, a medical products company, more than 4.65 times what he should have charged, amounting to an overcharge of $1.05 million.
This gives rise to a strong inference of unethical behaviour, said the court, which also comprised Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Justice Tay Yong Kwang.
In his defence, Mr Syn said he genuinely believed that the fees he charged were reasonable.

But the court rejected this and concluded that he intentionally and unethically took advantage of JWR.
The court noted that Mr Syn billed JWR at regular intervals for round figures without any sort of itemisation for his fees.
The bill of costs that he ultimately submitted – more than a year after the stipulated deadline – also did not disclose any reasonable justification for the bills, the court added.

Not only did My Syn fail to make restitution to JWR, he also tried to hide his assets from his creditors, including JWR, by transferring a vehicle and a club membership to his wife, each for $1.
“His attempts at concealing his assets constituted an extension of his unethical behaviour in overcharging JWR, and further signified an utter lack of remorse,” said the court.
The court also took into account as aggravating factors Mr Syn’s seniority and a previous warning letter from the Law Society in 2013 for failure to adhere to an agreed fee cap.
Mr Syn currently cannot practise law, as he is an undischarged bankrupt. The suspension will take effect upon his discharge from bankruptcy.


In 2015, Mr Syn was engaged by JWR to sue the company’s former lawyer in a claim for $8.9 billion. The suit was dismissed by the High Court in May 2019.
For his services, Mr Syn charged JWR a total of $1.36 million, comprising about $24,000 in disbursements, which are out-of-pocket expenses, and $1.34 million in professional fees.
The bills were rendered on a regular basis from December 2015 to April 2019 to JWR, which paid the sums in full.
JWR later applied to the court for an order to assess the bills, in a process known as taxation.
Mr Syn was ordered by the court to submit a bill of costs by Nov 7, 2019, but he did not file one until Nov 18, 2020.
At the taxation hearing on Feb 9, 2021, the costs for work done were taxed down to $288,000, and Mr Syn was ordered to refund the difference of $1.05 million.
After he failed to return the sum, JWR applied for a bankruptcy order against him on July 30, 2021, and he was adjudged bankrupt on Sept 30, 2021.
JWR also lodged a complaint with the Law Society, which brought three professional misconduct charges against Mr Syn.
Mr Syn pleaded guilty to the charges before a disciplinary tribunal, which found that there was cause of sufficient gravity for him to be sanctioned by the court on two of the charges.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Rise in breaches of ethics, professional standards by lawyers: Chief Justice​

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon speaking at an event at the Supreme Court on Monday to mark the opening of the 2023 legal year. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

JAN 9, 2023

SINGAPORE - There has been a noticeable rise in breaches of ethics and professional standards by lawyers, and those in the profession must act together to guard against a drop in standards, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said on Monday.
Speaking at an annual ceremony to mark the opening of the legal year, the Chief Justice said: “My point is that a looming decline in ethical and professional standards is likely to be exacerbated if we do not actively apply ourselves to fostering the sort of values that must characterise our profession, and a drop in standards cannot and will not be tolerated.
“We must therefore act together to guard against this.”
The event was held at the Supreme Court auditorium, with about 300 members of the legal community attending in person, after two years of online and hybrid formats.
In his speech, Chief Justice Menon noted the rising number of disciplinary tribunals over the years: 12 were appointed in 2018 to formally investigate complaints against lawyers, 13 in 2019, 16 in 2020, 28 in 2021 and 25 in 2022.
He said it was critical that lawyers remain anchored to the values of honesty, integrity and service, amid the changes affecting the profession.
At least three trends can be discerned from the disciplinary cases, he said.

First, a drop in client care standards. In many cases, lawyers acted contrary to their clients’ instructions, failed to keep their clients reasonably informed of the proceedings, or were disloyal to their clients’ interests.
Second, poor professional standards. Cases included those of lawyers failing to comply with the regulations for running a practice, falsely attesting to the execution of documents, and deliberately breaching a solicitor’s undertaking.
The third trend was a disregard for the court process, most notably in the criminal justice sphere, where counsel sought repeatedly to reopen capital cases on spurious grounds at the eleventh hour.

The Chief Justice said he did not attribute these trends to the shift to working remotely after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
He said he has asked Justice Valerie Thean and Senior Counsel Jimmy Yim to spearhead a team that will develop a strategy aimed at re-establishing the moral centre and the values of the profession for existing practitioners, and fostering them among new entrants to the ranks.
The Chief Justice would also like the team to consider the impact of changes arising from events of the last three years, from the perspective of the professional and ethical well-being of the profession.
He said: “The practice of law is not just a way to earn a living. It is a calling to participate in the administration of justice.”
He said he had occasion to reflect on this when he heard the cases of some aspiring lawyers who had cheated in some papers for Part B of the Bar examinations in 2020.

All of the 11 candidates who were caught cheating in the exam have been allowed to withdraw their applications to be admitted to the Bar.
“I think we need to emphasise the inescapable truth that being a lawyer entails a choice to live by those values of honesty, integrity and service which transcend our individual careers, cases or examinations,” said the Chief Justice.
He noted that the practice of law has traditionally been learnt by apprenticeship, and its values have been transmitted through sustained mentorship.
This entails watching and listening to one’s mentors and role models. As lawyers have spent much of the past three or so years working remotely, there has inevitably been some loss of such opportunities, the Chief Justice said.
“Even with hybrid arrangements, we should not think that mentoring can be put aside just because we are working from home. On the contrary, there must be a conscientious, intentional effort to mentor our juniors and to invest in their developmental growth,” he said.
He also briefly touched on the issue of salary, which was cited as a push factor by some who chose to leave the profession.
He observed that lawyers have traditionally been well compensated, although market forces ultimately determine salaries.
He said those forces have recently put considerable pressure on salaries at local law firms, and the legal service and the judicial service recently adjusted salaries and their compensation frameworks to narrow the gap, especially for younger officers.
“That said, we should also recognise that those who come to the law because they think it is a road to quick riches will likely find disappointment. Law is a demanding vocation,” said the Chief Justice.
“It takes time, decades in fact, to achieve a high degree of competence. It is therefore best seen as a calling to be answered with devotion and stamina, rather than as a gig to be experienced.”
In his speech, Law Society president Adrian Tan reported that membership had shrunk for the first time in five years.
Mr Tan said that from 2017 to 2021, the society’s membership grew year on year, reaching a high of 6,333 in 2021. But in 2022, it dropped to 6,273 members.
The loss came from juniors who left the profession after practising for fewer than five years, he noted.
International studies suggest the decline in lawyer numbers may not be only a Singapore problem, said Mr Tan, who revealed that the Law Society has commissioned a study to investigate the reasons behind the decline.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Court dismisses complaint against police officers by Healing the Divide’s Iris Koh​

Iris Koh claimed four police officers had mishandled personal items seized from her after her arrest in January 2021. PHOTO: ST FILE

Jessie Lim

Jan 16, 2023

SINGAPORE – A complaint filed against police officers by Iris Koh, founder of anti-vaccine group Healing the Divide, was dismissed by a Magistrate’s Court on Jan 9.
Koh, who was arrested in January 2021 for allegedly conspiring to cheat and submit falsified vaccination records to the Ministry of Health (MOH), had lodged a magistrate’s complaint against four police officers whom she claimed had mishandled personal items seized from her after her arrest.
A magistrate’s complaint is an application for a magistrate to examine an alleged criminal offence and give directions for further action.
On Nov 18, 2022, Koh complained that the items seized – her laptop, mobile phone and e-mail disk – had been stored in envelopes instead of being sealed in tamper-proof bags. She claimed that, as a result, the four officers, who were members of the forensic team, had breached protocol.
She also alleged that this would result in the chain of custody of evidence being compromised and thus be inadmissible in court.
Koh faces four charges, including making false representations to MOH over Covid-19 vaccinations and obstructing a policewoman from performing her duties.
Details of her complaint were published in grounds of decision by Senior Magistrate Hamzah Moosa in January.


According to Mr Hamzah, Koh was concerned that fraudulent evidence could have been planted in her electronic devices.
In his decision, Mr Hamzah said: “Her belief that the chain of custody of evidence seized during her arrest was compromised and no longer admissible in court are matters that are directly connected to and within the sole purview of the Trial Court.”
He said they should be dealt with by the judge during a trial instead.

In her complaint, Koh also alleged the four officers had failed to assist a member of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) team.
On Nov 4, 2022, Koh asked one Mr Sivakumar from the AGC if the extraction of exact copies from her digital devices was ready. Mr Sivakumar said it was not ready but would be by Nov 7.
She said the four officers, who were present when she spoke to Mr Sivakumar, had remained silent and accused them of trying to mislead her with their silence and reticence.
Koh claimed the officers had committed an offence by providing false information to a public servant, in this case Mr Sivakumar, and omitting to assist him, citing Section 182 and 187(1) of the Penal Code.

On Nov 7, when Koh was provided the copies from her three devices, she wondered how they had come about, as the room where her devices were kept had been sealed each time she left the room.
She also realised that day that her devices were not sealed in tamper-proof bags, and she was concerned that “fraudulent evidence” could be planted in her devices.
In response, Mr Hamzah said Koh did not provide any credible evidence that the police officers had committed an offence under the Penal Code.
In dismissing her complaint, he said there was insufficient reason to proceed on it.
Mr Hamzah said he informed Koh she could lodge a complaint with the police or raise the matter with the AGC regarding her concerns or allegations of the possible misconduct of one or more of the four police officers.
Koh has filed an appeal against the Magistrate’s Court’s decision.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Man who sued Singapore police for unlawful arrest awarded $20,000 in damages​

In the current case, Justice Philip Jeyaretnam found that the apprehending officer had acted in bad faith. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Selina Lum
Senior Law Correspondent

Jan 19, 2023

SINGAPORE - A man who sued the police for wrongly arresting him has been awarded $20,000 in damages for false imprisonment, after the High Court ruled in his favour.
However, Mr Mah Kiat Seng, 48, failed in his second claim that another officer had assaulted him while he was in police custody.
In a written judgment issued on Thursday, Justice Philip Jeyaretnam found that police officer Mohamed Rosli Mohamed had made up the observation that Mr Mah had been mumbling to himself and had spat into a plastic bag, to justify apprehending him under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.
The officer initially claimed in an affidavit that Mr Mah was “mumbling to himself at times” but later withdrew the assertion after viewing body-worn camera footage.
Under the Act, a police officer has a duty to apprehend people believed to be dangerous to themselves or others by reason of mental disorder, so that they can be taken to a psychiatric institution.
The law also provides for the police officer enforcing this to be protected from liability to civil or criminal proceedings “unless he has acted in bad faith or without reasonable care”.
In the current case, Justice Jeyaretnam found that the apprehending officer had acted in bad faith.

“While latitude must be given to police officers who, after all, are not medically trained and have to fulfil their duty under operational conditions, I am satisfied that in this case, there was an individual lapse on the part of the police officer concerned that resulted in Mah being falsely imprisoned, albeit for less than a day,” he said.
The judge concluded that Mr Rosli did not have an honest belief that Mr Mah was a danger to other people by reason of mental disorder.
“I find that Mah’s behaviour as shown in the footage did not suggest that he was dangerous to others, and as far as soundness of mind is concerned only showed a degree of eccentricity falling far short of appearing mentally disordered,” he said.

The judge noted that such eccentric mannerisms can come across as disrespectful.
Justice Jeyaretnam said: “I find on a balance of probabilities that Rosli, knowing that he had no power to arrest Mah for the matter complained of because it was not an arrestable offence, took a dislike to Mah for his apparently disrespectful conduct, including not handing his identity card directly to him.
“This is what motivated him to come up with the assertions that Mah was mumbling to himself and spat into a plastic bag.”
The judge dismissed the claim against the other officer, Mr Lawrence Tan Thiam Chin, who had handcuffed Mr Mah at the police lock-up and escorted him to another cell for him to relieve himself.
The judge said surveillance footage did not support Mr Mah’s allegations that Mr Tan had intentionally injured his wrist and arms.
“Mah simply experienced discomfort and marking of his skin from the ordinary manner in which handcuffs are used,” he said.

The case arose from an incident on July 7, 2017, after a woman called the police and alleged that a man had touched her son’s head at Suntec City.
At about 8pm, Mr Rosli and his partner found Mr Mah near a stone bench, and, with the assistance of two other officers, handcuffed him and apprehended him under the Act.
Mr Mah was held at the Central Police Division regional lock-up at about 10pm.
He was examined by Dr Lin Hanjie, who referred him to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for treatment at about 10.20pm.
He was transferred to a padded cell, before being escorted to the IMH at about 3am on July 8, 2017. He was discharged from IMH at about 7pm on the same day.
In 2020, Mr Mah, who represented himself, sued the Attorney-General representing the Singapore Police Force, and the two officers.
Mr Mah proposed that he be awarded $4,620.95, referring to what an individual in Malaysia was awarded in compensation.
The Attorney-General suggested that if Mr Mah’s claims are made out, he was entitled to not more than $15,000 for false imprisonment and not more than $4,000 for assault and battery.
Justice Jeyaretnam said that in awarding $20,000, he took into account the fact that Mr Mah was handcuffed and kept in a police cell, rather than taken directly to IMH, which would have been less stressful for him.
The judge also considered the invasions of his privacy when his bag was searched and his mobile phone accessed.
The Straits Times has contacted the police for comment.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Jail for ex-police NSF who illegally accessed man’s files, shared photo of him in chat group​

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent

Jan 26, 2023

SINGAPORE - A full-time national serviceman (NSF) with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) used a workplace computer system to unlawfully access the files of a teammate who had been arrested earlier.
Amirudin Shah Zainal, who has since completed his NS, then took a photo of a picture showing the man being handcuffed and shared it with a group on messaging platform WhatsApp.
To make fun of the teammate, Amirudin later recorded an eight-second video clip on his TikTok account using the picture he had taken as the background image.
Amirudin and his then colleague Amos Lee Zhen were in their police uniforms when Amirudin recorded the video, which shows the pair gesturing with their hands while lip-syncing to a song from 15, a movie about teenage gangsters in Singapore.
After that, Amirudin shared the video with another WhatsApp group.
On Wednesday, Amirudin, 23, was jailed for three weeks after pleading guilty to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act.
Court documents did not disclose the outcome of Mr Lee’s involvement in the case nor details about the teammate or why he was arrested.

Amirudin enlisted in SPF on Jan 4, 2020, and was posted to the Public Transport Security Command Headquarters (TransCom HQ) in Soon Wing Road, near Aljunied Road.
He was tasked with entering details of fresh incidents in SPF’s computerised record system called Cubicon 2.
In July 2020, he was granted login access to Cubicon 2 for official duties and knew that he was not authorised to access cases that were not assigned to him.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Samuel Chew said that Amirudin got to know the teammate while at the TransCom HQ.
Some time before Jan 28, 2021, Amirudin discovered that the man had been arrested, and an entry about the latter’s case was created on Cubicon 2 with a specific incident number.
On Jan 28, 2021, while at the TransCom HQ, Amirudin used the incident number to access files on the man’s criminal matters.
He used his mobile phone to take a photo of a picture of the man being handcuffed, and on Feb 6, 2021, sent the picture to a WhatsApp chat group called “Complacent X Intakecare”.
Members of the group included 17 other NSF police officers who were part of his TransCom team but were not assigned or authorised to access that teammate’s files.

On Feb 17, 2021, Amirudin showed Mr Lee a TikTok video of a tattooed man singing a Hokkien song from the movie 15.
The DPP told the court: “The accused then suggested to Amos that they make a TikTok video using the photograph and the song. Amos, who was aware of the photograph as he was a member of the WhatsApp group, agreed to the suggestion.”
Amirudin recorded the video, and on Feb 18, 2021, he sent the video to a WhatsApp chat group called “Mentos and Mentees”, which included two other NSF police officers who were part of his TransCom team.
Amirudin also shared the video with the “Complacent X Intakecare” group.
An anonymous informant alerted the police about the video on July 30, 2021.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence Amirudin to between three and six weeks’ jail, adding: “The accused’s motive for committing the offence was completely frivolous.”
The police said in a statement that they will start internal action against him following the court proceedings on Wednesday.
A police spokesman added: “The SPF has put in place measures and processes for the reporting of such incidents, and all complaints are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.

“The use of all SPF systems is meant for official purposes only. Officers shall access these systems only for official work purposes and are not allowed to disclose information to any unauthorised person. The use of SPF systems is closely monitored and subject to regular audits.”
Officers found misusing any SPF system will be investigated and dealt with severely, said the spokesman.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

More than 4 years’ jail for cop who forged 40 documents, including those linked to fatal accidents​

Kenny Cheong Chyuan Lih committed the offences during his stint as an investigation officer in the Traffic Police's Fatal Accident Investigation Team. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Shaffiq Alkhatib
Court Correspondent
UPDATED

Mar 23, 2023

SINGAPORE - For his own convenience, an experienced policeman forged documents in 15 investigation papers for traffic accidents, 14 of which involved fatalities.
If not for a typographical error by Kenny Cheong Chyuan Lih which was spotted by an alert prosecutor, his offences, committed between 2014 and 2018, might not have come to light at all.
On Thursday, Cheong, 39, was sentenced to four years and two months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to 12 forgery charges. Another 28 charges were considered during sentencing.
The station inspector, who has been suspended since Dec 27, 2018, committed the offences during his stint as an investigation officer in the Fatal Accident Investigation Team of the Traffic Police.
In all, Cheong, who had 14 years of experience, forged 40 documents. Because of his actions, 2,501 IPs had to be reviewed.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran said that the forgeries had caused no wrongful convictions.
However, eight coroner’s inquiries had to be reopened. Former State Coroner Marvin Bay, who handled the original inquiries, has since completed rehearing all eight, the court was told.

The DPP said: “The...coroner found that there was no miscarriage of justice caused by the forgeries.”
One of the cases involved a fatal hit-and-run accident along Martin Road near River Valley Close in April 2016.
Kasmani Ahmat was driving a lorry that fatally struck a man, referred to in court documents as V1.

Following investigations, Cheong recommended that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) charge Kasmani with offences under the Penal Code and the Road Traffic Act.
The IP was assessed by then Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Lim Yu Hui, who felt that additional investigations were needed.
In August 2016, she issued directions for further investigations into the accident.
On Thursday, DPP Thiagesh said: “Instead of complying with APP Lim’s directions...the accused created a charging minute under APP Lim’s name.
“The contents of the minute falsely stated that APP Lim had concluded that it was Kasmani’s lorry that had run over V1 and that she was thus directing that Kasmani be charged (with the) offences.”
Charging minutes are official correspondence in which the AGC directs the police to charge an accused person in court, having assessed there is sufficient evidence against him or her.

Kasmani was charged in court in September 2017. The matter was assigned to then APP Andrew Low, who discovered the forgery and reported it to the AGC’s management.
Details about the error made by Cheong were not disclosed.
The Internal Affairs Office (IAO) of the Singapore Police Force started investigations into Cheong’s offences in March 2018 which eventually revealed that he had forged multiple documents.
Meanwhile, Kasmani admitted to his offences and was sentenced to eight week’s jail in 2018.
DPP Thiagesh said: “It is fortuitous that following a review, the AGC had found that there was sufficient evidence to support Kasmani’s conviction, alleviating any concern that Kasmani had been wrongfully charged and incarcerated.”
Cheong’s bail was set at $15,000 on Thursday and he is expected to surrender himself at the State Courts on April 6 to begin serving his sentence.