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SINGAPORE: A prison officer and an inmate who assisted him in housekeeping matters were embroiled in a corrupt arrangement where the inmate bribed the officer in exchange for lewd photos and pills being smuggled into jail.
Suspended officer Mohammad Asri Abd Rahim, 39, and Mohamad Yusof Kasim, 50, were sentenced to 10 months' jail each on Thursday (Oct 10) for three charges each under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with another two charges considered in sentencing.
Asri was also ordered to pay a penalty of S$3,700 (US$2,860).
Another inmate, 36-year-old Murali Vigneshwaran, who was roped into the corrupt scheme and had only one charge, was given four months' jail.
In sentencing, District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam said Asri had illegally obtained gratification while carrying out his duties as a public servant.
"This is an abuse of power," he said. As for the inmates, he said that the pair was in prison at the time, but instead of "learning to reform and rehabilitate themselves", they went on to reoffend and "even corrupted" Asri.
The trio have caused damage and harm to the trust in and integrity of Singapore Prison Service (SPS), a public institution, said the judge.
He said he largely agreed with the sentencing submissions by the prosecution, except that he found a stiffer sentence was warranted.
THE CASE
Asri had joined SPS in 2012 and managed inmates in Changi Prison Complex Institution B4.
He was assisted by correctional unit attendants, inmates who are given duties to assist in house-keeping matters and who would be paid an allowance to buy items like snacks in prison.
Yusof was one of the attendants, assisting Asri with his management of inmates.
From early 2021 to August 2021, Asri started bringing in Gabapentin pills, a type of painkiller that can be abused, for his attendants as a reward for their assistance.
He did so once or twice a month, passing a slab of pills to Yusof for him to distribute to the other attendants. At first, he did not receive any money in return.
However, in August 2021, Yusof suggested to Asri that he was willing to pay Asri if the latter smuggled contraband items into prison for the inmates. Initially, Asri did not answer, as he knew it was illegal.
However, he eventually agreed and entered into an arrangement with Yusof, helping him smuggle contraband items like lewd photographs and medication through security at Changi Prison in exchange for money.
HOW IT WORKED
Yusof would instruct his friends and acquaintances outside Changi Prison to pass the items to Asri. Murali was one of these friends. He was released from jail in December 2021 but was convicted again and incarcerated after February 2022. He remains in jail.
Yusof used code words in his e-letters to avoid detection while instructing his friends and acquaintances on what to pass to Asri.
He used "ayam" to refer to Asri, "postcards" to mean lewd photos, "paper" for money and "visit goods" for Gabapentin pills.
After receiving the items, Asri would hide the pills in bags in his socks or underwear and smuggle them into prison over a few days.
He kept the lewd photos in envelopes in his uniform pocket and smuggled them into prison when reporting for work.
Yusof also instructed his friends and acquaintances outside prison to reward Asri, usually in cash. Occasionally, they would make bank transfers instead.
Asri helped smuggle in contraband items from August 2021 to early June 2022, receiving at least S$3,700 in gratification.
Around mid to end-June 2022, Asri told Yusof that he wanted to stop the arrangement.
However, before they could do so, SPS officers raided Yusof's cell, suspecting he had contraband items. They found prohibited items including Gabapentin pills and later found out that Asri had smuggled in the pills.
The prosecution had sought at least eight months' jail for Asri and penalty orders amounting to S$3,700, at least eight months' jail for Yusof and at least three months' jail for Murali.
SPS told CNA in a statement after Asri's conviction that he had been suspended on half pay since Feb 8, 2023.
"Following his conviction, he will face public service disciplinary action and will be liable for punishments which may include dismissal from service," said SPS.
For corruptly accepting gratification while he was a prison officer, Asri could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$100,000, or both.
