Yesterday, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) sergeant was brought to court on corruption charges — she had allegedly accepted or agreed to receive bribes that amounted to S$1,680 (US$1,242) in exchange for granting 30-day social visit passes to 28 Thai women. Court papers did not mention the reason for the Thai women coming to Singapore.
Catherine Lim Zhi Yin currently faces seven counts of corruption. According to The Straits Times, Lim has been banned from service since Mar 7, 2015. She’s now out on bail and will return to court on Oct 12.
The now 26-year-old, who was unrepresented in court, was accused of liaising with Singaporean Raymond Lim Boon Ian, now 36, from December 2014 to February 2015. He was in court on Apr 24, and was sentenced to eight months of jail time for corruption.
The ICA said it worked with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau when it was notified of the case through internal checks.
“As guardians of Singapore’s checkpoints, ICA officers are expected to discharge their duties professionally and maintain a high standard of integrity,” the ICA told ST.
If convicted of corruption, offenders can be jailed a maximum of five years and fined up to $100,000 for each charge.
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