In a recent case of corruption, Guo Chuankui, a 46-year-old Chinese national, was sentenced to three weeks in jail after pleading guilty to a graft charge on Oct 4.
The incident, which unfolded on April 4, 2023, involved Guo attempting to bribe a parking warden while disputing a parking ticket for illegally parking his company vehicle near a construction site.
According to report, the sequence of events began when Mr. Vikneswaran Kumaran, a parking warden employed by Certis Cisco Protection Services, discovered Guo’s car parked on a stretch of road marked with double yellow lines.
Upon arriving at the scene on his motorcycle, Mr. Vikneswaran promptly issued a parking ticket for the violation.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Lee Da Zhuan, Guo returned to the scene shortly after and confronted Mr. Vikneswaran. He pleaded for leniency, inquiring about the cost of the fine. After learning that the ticket amounted to $70, Guo attempted to negotiate for a lower fee and even offered to treat the warden ‘with some tea’ in exchange for not issuing the ticket.
As per the report, the DPP said: “When the two met, the accused pleaded with Mr Vikneswaran telling him not to give the ticket.”
When his initial offers were rejected, Guo resorted to more overt corruption tactics.
Before Mr. Vikneswaran could leave the area, Guo pulled out a $10 bill from his wallet and offered it as a bribe.
Despite Guo placing the money on the speedometer of Mr. Vikneswaran’s motorcycle, the warden remained steadfast in his refusal of the bribe.
Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Mr. Vikneswaran contacted his superior, who advised him to alert the police. Following this guidance, the authorities were notified, leading to Guo’s arrest and subsequent charges.
DPP said : “Before Viknes left, the accused opened his wallet, took a $10 note out and corruptly offered the gratification to Viknes, who rejected the money.
He added : “The accused then placed the $10 on the top of the speedometer of Viknes’ motorcycle. Viknes called his superior for advice, who told Viknes to call the police.”
Under Singaporean law, individuals convicted of graft offenses can face penalties of up to five years in prison and fines reaching $100,000.
Image via google for illustration
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