Singaporean Civil Servant Arrested For Leaking Covid-19 Case Numbers Under Official Secrets Act
On Saturday (18 Apr), the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a leak of Covid-19 case numbers to the police.
This came after the number of confirmed cases for 16 Apr circulated chat messaging platforms before MOH’s daily update.
Investigations have yielded results since then, and a 35-year-old Singaporean civil servant has been arrested on Thursday (23 Apr) under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and Computer Misuse Act.
Civil servant shared figures in private WeChat group multiple times
According to a police statement, the woman is an authorised recipient of classified information on Covid-19, reports Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
However, she accessed a government Covid-19 database without permission to obtain information about a patient, and shared this information with her friend.
The accused also shared the case number for 16 Apr on a private WeChat group before MOH’s daily update.
Further investigation revealed that the woman had shared daily figures with the group on several other occasions as well.
Offenders face up to 2 years jail if convicted under OSA
If convicted of wrongful communication of information under the Official Secrets Act, the civil servant faces a fine of up to $2,000 and jail for up to 2 years.
For unauthorised access to computer materials under the Computer Misuse Act, she can be fined up to $5,000 and similarly jailed for up to 2 years.
The police also reminds the public that unauthorised recipients are also liable to face penalties under the OSA.
Do remember not to further circulate confidential information if you come across it.
Confidentiality is a serious issue
Hopefully, the police has plugged MOH’s leak with this arrest.
For the rest of us, let’s just stay out of unnecessary trouble and focus on getting ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic instead.
Featured image adapted from Insider.
