SINGAPORE: A former assistant superintendent with Singapore’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was sentenced to nine years’ jail on 26 May after receiving bribes totalling S$47,700 from a man involved in illegal gambling activities.
Koh Kian Tiong, also known as Mark Koh, 52, was also fined S$1,000 and ordered to pay a penalty equivalent to the total amount of bribes he had accepted.
Should he fail to pay the full sum of S$48,700, he will face an additional 47 days and one week in prison.
Koh had been on the run for nearly 17 years before his arrest in April 2024.
At the time of the offences, he was an officer with the CID’s Anti-Unlicensed Money Lending Task Force and had a team of subordinates reporting to him.
On 21 May, Koh pleaded guilty to five counts of graft involving S$31,000 in cash bribes and one count of desertion under the Police Force Act.
Ten other graft charges involving the remaining S$16,700 were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The court heard that between January 2006 and May 2007, Koh received monetary bribes and free entertainment from Chua Chin Hoe, a known operator of illegal gambling dens in Singapore.
In return, Koh provided Chua with confidential information on CID operations that could have affected his criminal activities.
Koh’s dealings with Chua began in 2005, during a period when he was undergoing divorce proceedings and struggling with legal fees.
He initially sought a S$15,000 loan from a colleague in the Secret Societies Branch (SSB), who then approached Chua—referred to in court documents as “Ah Hoe”—on Koh’s behalf.
Chua agreed to provide the loan, which Koh collected in Geylang on or around 21 January 2006. No repayment terms were discussed, and Koh never repaid the amount.
Later that year, Koh again approached Chua to help settle his credit card debts, receiving another S$16,000, which he also did not repay.
Throughout 2006, Koh and Chua regularly visited bars, where Chua paid for drinks and occasionally tipped hostesses and performers.
Koh also introduced Chua to at least five other CID officers, all of whom received free entertainment and alcohol from Chua.
Bank records showed that Chua spent at least S$27,000 on such entertainment expenses in 2006 alone.
In 2007, while on leave in China, Koh learned that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had started investigating his dealings with Chua.
Fearing arrest, he chose not to return to Singapore. An Interpol red notice was subsequently issued against him.
Such notices alert foreign police to wanted individuals and can be used to support extradition proceedings after an arrest is made.
During his time abroad, Koh was jailed in China on unrelated charges, reportedly linked to a financial dispute. He served time in Chongqing, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
After his release, Koh was deported to Singapore and arrested at Changi Airport on 28 April 2024.
Chua was sentenced in 2012 to four-and-a-half years’ jail and fined $20,000 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Common Gaming House Act.
At least three other CID officers linked to Koh’s offences were also charged and sentenced in 2010.
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