The man who boasted on Facebook about paying off a security guard to enter the restricted Marina Bay Street Circuit last Sunday has since decided to emerge from hiding and came clean about his deeds. Especially after all the huge fuss his post drummed up, post-Singapore Grand Prix.
Posting in a Formula One interest group on Facebook, the man — who goes by the moniker Viv Smith — admitted (or claimed) that there was actually no bribery involved.
“The barriers were down, the gates open. I asked the guard if he would take a photo of us and he kindly agreed,” he wrote, adding that there were other people on the track as well, including a skateboarder and joggers.
His initial Facebook post, which went viral after All Singapore Stuff picked it up, was a different story. On Sunday, Viv Smith put up a picture of himself and a companion on the track — a photo that he claimed a security guard took for him after accepting a bribe.
His little braggado, however, launched a serious investigation into corruption and safety during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. The security agency assigned to the area where the bribe apparently transpired informed The Straits Times that the allegations were untrue.
“We have interviewed all the security officers and we are satisfied that they were vigilant and had conscientiously followed the given instructions and performed their duty accordingly,” said a spokesman.
They’ve since submitted their findings to Singapore GP and will continue cooperating in any further investigations.
As for Viv Smith, he’s currently laying low in Malaysia “in disguise” until the whole thing blows over, according to his comments on the post.
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