Woman gets 3 weeks' jail for offering $65 bribe to Singapore auxiliary cop along Causeway

A woman who was caught illegally driving in the bus lane along the Causeway attempted to bribe a Singapore auxiliary police officer with RM50 (S$15) and $50.

Wang Xiping, 42, was sentenced to three weeks' jail after pleading guilty to one count of violating Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act on Friday (Nov 15), reported Lianhe Zaobao.

According to the charge sheet, Wang frequently drives to Johor Bahru (JB). On July 17, she was driving to Malaysia to show a friend around JB and collect her medical report.

The woman and her friend cleared Singapore immigration at about 10.50am that day. A few minutes later, an auxiliary officer spotted Wang's car in the dedicated bus and lorry lane and stopped them.

The cop told Wang she was not allowed to drive in the dedicated lane and instructed her to U-turn to Woodlands Checkpoint to re-enter Malaysia.

Wang then offered the officer RM50 to let her continue driving. The latter refused and requested her to present her passport.

The woman then handed over her passport and a $50 note. She asked the officer to accept the bribe and let her go, stating that she needed to visit the hospital.

Wang's second offer was firmly denied by the auxiliary officer, who stated that the incident had been captured on their body-worn camera.

Wang was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint at around 11.30am that same day.

In court, the woman said her English is poor and she had thought the Malay auxiliary officer worked for the Malaysian authorities. She thought they had wanted more money and hence offered the bribe again.

The prosecution highlighted that Wang had attempted to bribe the officer twice and asked for a jail term of three to four weeks.

In her migitation plea, Wang said she had felt anxious during the incident and her mood had been affected by a personal issue between her and her husband.

She added that her husband was overseas for work and would not return to Singapore soon, and that their four children needed her.

The judge allowed her to begin her sentence on Nov 18 to settle matters relating to her children.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com