Chinese national who tried to bribe cops with $89, jailed
A man sitting by the curbside and drinking beer was asked by two police officers to dispose of his drink as it was past 10.30pm and drinking in public was not allowed after that time.
But Xu Biwei, 28, offered them $89 to leave him alone.
On Sept 27, the Chinese national pleaded guilty to attempting to bribe the police officers and was sentenced to seven weeks’ jail.
Court documents showed that Xu had been drinking at a public carpark located near Angullia Park in Orchard Road on May 7, 2023, at about 11pm.
The two police officers, who were responding to a separate call for assistance in the area, spotted Xu and approached him.
They asked him to empty the beer can and throw it away, but Xu offered them money, which amounted to $89. They rejected the offer and warned him not to offer bribes to police officers.
According to court documents, Xu repeated the offer five more times over a 30-minute period. Each time, the officers warned him not to do so.
The court heard that Xu had initially indicated that he would plead guilty as early as November 2023. He later opted to claim trial on July 10, but reverted to his initial intention to plead guilty on Aug 28.
Those found guilty of offering bribes to police officers or agents can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.
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