A 39-year-old Singapore Prison Service (SPS) officer, Mohammad Asri Abd Rahim, has pleaded guilty to accepting S$3,700 in bribes from inmate Mohamad Yusof Kasim, in exchange for smuggling contraband into Changi Prison between August 2021 and June 2022.
Yusof, 50, also admitted guilt to bribing Asri, while a third inmate, Murali Vigneshwaran (36), pleaded guilty to abetting Yusof in facilitating the scheme. A fourth man, Wilson Ang (37), remains under investigation, according to CNA.
Asri, who joined SPS in April 2012, supervised inmates at Changi Prison Complex. Yusof served as a Correctional Unit Attendant (CUA), performing housekeeping tasks inside the prison. Initially, in early 2021, Asri brought small amounts of gabapentin (up to 10 pills, once or twice a month) as rewards for CUAs, with no financial gain.
In August 2021, Yusof offered to pay Asri to smuggle additional contraband. Despite initial hesitation, Asri agreed. Yusof used coded e-letters: “ayam” referred to Asri, “postcards” to lewd photographs, “visit goods” to gabapentin, and “paper” to money. Accomplices outside, including Murali, were instructed accordingly.
To evade metal detectors—as the pills’ original aluminium packaging was detectable—Asri repackaged the gabapentin into ziplock bags and concealed them in his socks and underwear; the nude photos were kept in an envelope inside his uniform.
Murali, released in December 2021, helped pass cash and contraband to Asri until he was re-incarcerated on new offenses. In June 2022, Asri attempted to terminate the arrangement. But before it concluded, SPS searched Yusof’s cell and found pills traced back to Asri.
SPS was alerted to the contraband on 10 October 2022, initiating investigations and referral to the CPIB. Asri was suspended on half-pay from 8 February 2023, pending resolution.
On 25 July 2025, Asri was formally charged with five counts of corruption; Yusof also faced five charges, and Murali and Ang were each charged once. At the 5 September 2025 hearing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia recommended at least eight months’ imprisonment for both Asri and Yusof plus penalty orders totaling S$3,700; Murali was recommended to receive at least three months’ jail.
Chia emphasized the significant financial amounts, the reputational harm to SPS, Asri’s deliberate use of methods to outsmart metal detectors, and Yusof’s orchestration of a “web of corruption,” with Murali’s assistance being critical.
Yusof and Murali sought to backdate sentences to 25 July, and Yusof requested a six-month term. These were rejected due to their ongoing rehabilitation program; Asri requested deferred sentencing to settle personal affairs.
All three will be sentenced on 9 October 2025. Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, each faces up to five years’ imprisonment, a S$100,000 fine, or both.
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