Cop allegedly pocketed $4k, told woman to lie in statement
A police inspector was hauled to court on Sept 24 after he allegedly committed a range of offences, including pocketing $4,000 which had been entrusted to him and telling a woman to lie in her statement to one of his colleagues.
Chan Zhiyao, 43, is also accused of making unauthorised access to his workplace computer to conduct a screening on another person and obtain a police report number linked to the individual.
Chan is said to have unlawfully passed the report number to a 36-year-old Vietnamese woman, identified as Tran Thi Tien.
On Sept 24, the Singaporean man was charged with one count each of misusing a computer system, criminal breach of trust, and performing an act that could pervert the course of justice.
He was also charged with an offence under the Official Secrets Act.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) told The Straits Times that Chan has since been suspended.
Tien, who is a Singapore permanent resident, was handed one charge under the Official Secrets Act.
Court documents stated that some time between Dec 9 and 10, 2020, Chan, who was then a senior investigation officer, allegedly accessed SPF’s Crimes II computer system and obtained the police report number.
Chan is accused of sharing the number with Tien on the night of Dec 10.
Details about the case linked to the police report number were not disclosed in court documents.
Separately, Chan is accused of misappropriating $4,000 on Jan 26, 2023. Another woman had allegedly transferred the amount to him. Court documents did not disclose the reasons behind the transaction.
But Chan allegedly told her to lie in her statement to one of his colleagues a week later that the $4,000 was still in her bank account.
The cases involving Chan and Tien have been adjourned to Oct 21.
If convicted of the offences under the Official Secrets Act, they can each be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $2,000.
If convicted of criminal breach of trust, Chan can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined.
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