Man urinates in drain, offers S$7 bribe to NEA officers to avoid fine
A man who was caught urinating into a drain and later tried to bribe his way out of trouble has now been jailed for it.
On Monday (2 June), 54-year-old Thai national Nanjaijumpa Kham-Ai was sentenced to 10 days’ jail after pleading guilty to a corruption charge.
A second charge was considered during sentencing.
Stopped to relieve himself near parked bicycle
Nanjaijumpa, who had been working in Singapore since 2017, had cycled from his workplace at a farm in Lorong Semangka to a mobile phone repair shop near Sungei Tengah Lodge on 17 Dec 2024.
Source: Google Maps, for illustration purposes only
He hoped to fix his faulty phone, but with only S$150 on hand instead of the requested S$200, he paid S$100 and promised to return with the remaining amount.
While making his way back to retrieve the money, he stopped near his bicycle and relieved himself into a drain at around 7pm.
Tried to bribe officers with S$7
Two auxiliary police officers, Ong Seng Hock and Prabakar Hisparan, were patrolling the area on environmental enforcement duties for the National Environment Agency (NEA) when they spotted Nanjaijumpa.
Source: @baeyyamkeng on Instagram, for illustration purposes only
After identifying themselves, the officers requested his particulars to prepare a summons.
Eager to return to the phone shop before it closed, Nanjaijumpa pleaded with Mr Ong to let him off, insisting that it was common for people to urinate in that drain.
He then offered S$7 in an attempt to avoid enforcement action, which Mr Ong promptly declined.
Undeterred, he repeated the offer to Mr Prabakar, who also rejected it.
Nanjaijumpa then took things further by slipping the money into Mr Prabakar’s sling bag.
Mr Ong immediately instructed him to take the money back, which he did.
The officers reminded him that public servants are not allowed to accept bribes, and Mr Prabakar proceeded to call the police.
Nanjaijumpa was arrested shortly after.
Prosecution seeks 10 days’ jail
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tung Shou Pin acknowledged that while the attempted bribe lasted under half a minute, it was carried out with persistence despite clear refusals from both officers.
He emphasised that had either officer accepted the money, it would have significantly harmed Singapore’s international standing for clean governance and public sector integrity.
During mitigation, Nanjaijumpa, who was unrepresented in court, expressed remorse through a Thai interpreter and assured the judge: “I promise not to do it again.”
The prosecution sought a sentence of seven to 10 days’ jail, noting that the accused was a first-time offender.
Under Singapore law, offering a bribe can result in up to five years’ jail, a fine of up to S$100,000, or both.
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Featured image adapted from MS News.Â
