SINGAPORE: Four men were charged on Wednesday (Apr 10) for accepting bribes in exchange for under-reporting the weight of passengers' check-in baggage at Changi Airport, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in a media release.
Singaporeans Mohammad Haris Mohammad Ali and Gerizim Kirubai Raj Deved, Singapore permanent resident Ayyadurai Karunanithi and Indian national Patel Hiteshkumar Chandubhai were each charged with one count of corruptly accepting gratification to under-report the weight of passengers' baggage in the flight check-in computer system.
Mohammad Haris and Gerizim Kirubai Raj Deved were both customer service associates for SATS Asia Pacific Star, while Ayyadurai Karunanithi and Patel were working for UBTS, also as customer service associates.
Mohamad Haris, 23, had accepted at least six packets of cigarettes worth about S$66 from one Ahmad on multiple occasions between April and May last year, said CPIB.
Gerizim Kirubai Raj Deved, 35, accepted at least S$630 on multiple occasions between January and July 2018 from someone named Gajendran Ramesh.
Similarly, 47-year-old Ayyadurai Karunanithi was charged for accepting bribes amounting to at least S$500 from a Saravanan Muthuraja on several occasions between April and May last year.
Meanwhile, 37-year-old Patel had taken bribes amounting to at least S$800 several times between January and October 2016. He had been bribed by Gopal Krishna Raju, a 37-year-old Indian national, who was also charged on Wednesday.
Anyone convicted of a corruption offence could be fined up to S$100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.
"Corrupt practices of such nature will not only tarnish the excellent reputation of Singapore’s Changi Airport but more importantly, it may undermine our safety in air travel," said CPIB.