When foreigners enter Singapore to work, they require certain passes to remain in the country.
Turns out, some are willing to go to great lengths to secure these passes so that they could remain in Singapore.
Ms Liang, a foreign sex worker, was recently fined and jailed for bribing an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer with sex and money in exchange for a special pass (S-Pass).
Additionally, she was charged for providing sexual services between November 2020 and January 2021.
On Friday (17 Dec), Ms Liang pleaded guilty to 4 charges — 3 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and 1 under the Women’s Charter.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), 8 similar charges were considered as well.
Ms Liang had apparently bribed Mr Teo, an ICA officer, using sex and money in exchange for an S-Pass.
The 38-year-old was also charged for providing sexual services to customers at her Jurong West flat.
She was eventually sentenced to 25 weeks’ jail and fined $8,000.
Separately, Mr Teo has been charged for accepting bribes from both Ms Liang and another China national. He will be returning to court for a pre-trial conference this month, reported TODAY.
Ms Liang had arrived in Singapore on a social visit pass in the first half of 2018.
The China national was finding ways to extend her stay, and was introduced to Mr Teo by an acquaintance. Her friend mentioned Mr Teo was an ICA employee and could help her out.
Sometime between Jul and Aug 2018, Ms Liang reportedly contacted Mr Teo through WeChat to explain her situation and expressed her desire to get an S-Pass.
Mr Teo then explained that he could help with the favour, but requested an iPhone in return. Ms Liang agreed to the deal.
CNA reported that Mr Teo went to Ms Liang’s house in Jurong West sometime between July and October 2018. The pair then had sex in the wee hours of the morning.
Mr Teo reportedly did not pay Ms Liang for the services. The prosecutor said that while Ms Liang knew the deed was wrong, she wanted to remain in Singapore.
After having sex, Ms Liang asked how Mr Teo would help her get an S-Pass. Mr Teo told her she would have to be arrested and fined but could remain in Singapore if she assisted with an ICA-related probe.
He also told Ms Liang how to answer the questions officers posed to her.
She was then arrested on 16 Oct 2018 in a joint operation by ICA and the police. Ms Liang followed Mr Teo’s instructions and paid a composition fine for overstaying but was given an S-Pass.
Despite receiving the S-Pass, Mr Teo continued to contact Ms Liang for bribes.
One day, they met for a meal at Jem shopping centre in Jurong East where Ms Liang paid for their food.
Mr Teo also said he wanted $2,100-$2,200 in cash instead of the iPhone he previously requested.
Within the same month, Mr Teo contacted Ms Liang to request an urgent loan of 5,000 yuan (S$1,072). Afraid that her S-Pass would be revoked, or that she might require Mr Teo’s help in the future, Ms Liang agreed to the loan.
Apart from bribing Mr Teo, Ms Liang was also charged for providing sexual services to customers between November 2020 and January 2021.
She charged customers $120 per hour and remitted about $8,000 of her earnings to her family in China.
Before her arrest in Jan 2021, Ms Liang reportedly had about 90 customers, reports CNA.
Ms Liang’s lawyer mentioned during her hearing that her client had realised her wrongdoing and deeply regrets her actions.
While Ms Liang’s desire to remain in Singapore might be understandable, we hope she learns her lesson and would turn over a new leaf following this incident.
Hopefully, when she is done serving her jail term, she will look for a more stable and legal job to provide for herself and her family.
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Featured image courtesy of MS News.
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