Realising she did not have a valid visa, a woman tried bribing staff at Changi Airport with US$50 (S$68.23) to let her board her flight to Amsterdam.
Both officers turned her down and authorities subsequently placed her under arrest.
On Wednesday (1 Nov), she pleaded guilty to offering gratification to an agent under the Prevention of Corruption Act and received a four-week jail sentence.
According to TODAY, 52-year-old Zeng Xiuying and her friend Wu Zhangwang came to Singapore from Koh Samui, Thailand on the afternoon of 16 Oct.
They arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 1 and were transiting to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Both women had tickets for a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight leaving at 12.40am on 17 Oct.
After they reached departure gate C15, KLM agent Ms Suriah Samsi screened them.
With both women not having valid visas to travel to Amsterdam, Ms Suriah prevented them from boarding the flight. She also alerted other KLM staff regarding the matter.
The airline then followed Ms Suriah’s decision and did not allow the duo to board the flight.
Mr Ronald Michael Jansen, a Certis Cisco officer, had to help inform the women that they could not board the aircraft.
He did so and instructed them to go to the KLM airline counter at the departure hall or call the KLM hotline.
Sometime later, Mr Jansen spotted Zeng and Wu near the departure gate communicating with other auxiliary police officers.
Upon approaching them, Zeng offered Mr Jansen US$50 (S$68.23), asking him to help her convince the airline to let her board the flight.
Refusing the bribe, the officer told her repeatedly he could not accept the cash.
Mr Jansen then went to the counter to ask if Zeng and her friend could enter the flight but staff told him that they could not.
He returned to speak to Zeng again. This time round, she allegedly passed him her travel itinerary with a few US dollar notes hidden inside. Turning the money down, Mr Jansen left the area.
Ms Suriah also asked for Zeng’s passport to check her travel history while she and Wu were near the departure gate.
Zeng gave her passport with at least US$50 (S$68.23) hidden beneath it and asked the agent for help in Mandarin. Ms Suriah similarly turned the money down.
Authorities subsequently placed Zeng under arrest for the attempted bribes.
During the investigation, she confessed to trying to bribe them so they could help her and her friend board the flight to Amsterdam.
She then claimed that she only offered one US$50 (S$68.23) note which had been seized from her for investigations.
Zeng had asked for a lighter sentence, claiming in court that she gave the officers the money so they would help her ask the airline why she could not board the flight.
In addition, she revealed that it was her first time travelling overseas.
For her offences, Zeng could face a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$100,000 or both.
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Featured image adapted from @shawnanggg on Unsplash.
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