MFA Director-General Who Allegedly Misused Diplomatic Bags Allowed To Visit Tokyo To Meet Pottery Master

MFA Director-General Who Allegedly Misused Diplomatic Bags Allowed To Visit Tokyo From 28 Jan To 20 Feb

The court has granted the director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) — who is facing charges of misusing diplomatic bags — permission to visit Japan.

44-year-old Gilbert Oh Hin Kwan allegedly used the diplomatic bag service to transport Panadol and luxury watches for personal reasons.

He also lied to the MFA about these incidents.

Oh’s upcoming trip to Tokyo will take place from 28 Jan to 20 Feb.

Court documents stated that he will be discussing potential property acquisitions and visiting his elderly pottery master and his partner’s family while he is there.

Reportedly transported Panadol & luxury watches using diplomatic bags

According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Oh was charged on 23 Nov 2023 for using diplomatic bags to transport Panadol and luxury watches.

Diplomatic bags are meant for official use and cannot be opened or detained.

Source: Bhutan Times on Facebook

The MFA director-general faces the following charges:

• Two counts of cheating
• One count of providing false information to a public servant

In December 2022, he allegedly sent Panadol from Singapore to China in a diplomatic bag.

The MFA was under the impression that the medication was for his MFA colleague, Dion Loke Cheng Wang, in Beijing.

However, the paracetamol pills were for Oh’s personal acquaintance instead.

On 12 Jan 2023, Oh purportedly used the diplomatic bag service again, this time to transport luxury watches from China to Singapore.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) shared that Oh had instigated an MFA colleague to dispatch the package.

He did not disclose that the package belonged to and was intended for somebody else instead of the colleague.

Oh then reportedly lied to then-MFA Deputy Secretary Ong Eng Chuan a week later about the package containing the luxury watches.

The same MFA colleague carried the package into Singapore on 17 Jan 2023. At the time, Oh had claimed the watches belonged to his father.

Visiting Tokyo to discuss acquisition of property & visit pottery master

On Thursday (25 Jan), the court granted Oh permission to visit Tokyo for leisure from 28 Jan to 20 Feb, reported CNA.

While there, he intends to “explore and negotiate the possible sale and/or purchase of property in Tokyo,” court records stated.

He will also visit his pottery master, who is “of old age and remains frail”.

Source: Earl Wilcox on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.

On top of that, he will be visiting his partner’s family.

The judge permitted the trip on these conditions:

• Post additional bail of S$10,000 with monetary security from the bailor,  on top of his existing S$10,000 bail
• Provide his complete itinerary to his investigating officer prior to leaving
• Provide full details of his accommodations and contact numbers before leaving
• Remain contactable by the investigating officer, and his bailor cannot travel with him
• When he returns to Singapore, he must surrender his passport to the investigating officer within 24 hours

The court will next hear his case on 22 Feb.

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Featured image adapted from Bhutan Times on Facebook and Wikimedia Commons.