SINGAPORE: A former foreman was jailed for eight weeks on Thursday (Dec 19) for bribing a security guard to allow his syndicate to smuggle and sell contraband cigarettes.
Theku Raja Suresh, a 41-year-old Indian national, pleaded guilty to two charges of corruption, with another two charges considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Suresh was in the syndicate with other members of a mooring crew employed by Eng Hup Shipping.
They were deployed at the Chevron Penjuru Terminal, where the offences took place.
As of January 2023, the syndicate had at least eight members, including Suresh and mooring crew workers Rathnakumar Deepan and Vadivalu Dharman.
From at least 2020, the syndicate smuggled cigarettes and sold them with help from Ahmad Khamis, a senior security officer with Pico Guards who was stationed at the terminal.
As mooring crew workers, the syndicate’s members had access to vessels that berthed at the terminal.
Certain syndicate members who worked in mooring crews would first receive information about contraband cigarettes being on board a particular vessel. They would inform Suresh.
Using his authority as a foreman, Suresh would ensure that the workers deployed to do mooring works on that particular vessel contained members of the syndicate.
These syndicate members would then inform Ahmad, the security officer, when the contraband would be arriving. He would ensure he was deployed to work that shift.
When the vessel berthed, the syndicate members assigned to do mooring works would transport the contraband to their changing room area. The cigarettes would usually be hidden in black trash bags.
A syndicate member would then drive the trash bags to the rubbish chute area on a buggy. The rubbish chute area was chosen because it was not monitored by closed-circuit television cameras.
To reach the rubbish chute area, the buggy would have to pass the main guardhouse. Ahmad would place himself there and automatically lift the security barrier to let the buggy through when he saw it coming.
The syndicate would then sell the contraband cigarettes to buyers at the rubbish chute area. This was located within the terminal, but buyers were able to access the area due to Ahmad’s assistance.
Profits from the sales were split among the syndicate members. Suresh received at least S$2,350 (US$1,730) in total.
Ahmad was paid between S$50 and S$200 in cash each time he helped the syndicate.
Over eight occasions from 2020 to 2022, Suresh conspired with others in the syndicate to pass Ahmad bribes amounting to at least S$750.
Suresh was arrested in February 2023 on suspicion of corruption. Court documents did not state how the offences came to light.
Ahmad has also been charged with corruption, and is set to plead guilty on Jan 3, 2025.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia asked for eight weeks’ jail for Suresh.
He said that Suresh’s offences raised the spectre of organised crime in Singapore, which is harmful to society.
The smuggling of contraband cigarettes also posed a significant health risk to the public at large, and specifically to consumers of the cigarettes, he said.
The prosecutor noted that the amounts of money involved were small, but said this should be balanced against the planning and premeditation behind the offences.
Asking for a lighter sentence, Suresh told the court that he had been out of work for the past two years as he was unable to work in Singapore during the investigations.
He said he was the sole breadwinner of his family, which had not received any support from him during this time.
The punishment for corruptly giving gratification is a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$100,000 or both.
