Singapore Prison Corruption Case: A Breach of Trust
A prison officer in Singapore has been jailed for corruption after accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into a jail. The case also involved an inmate who assisted in housing duties and another inmate connected to the scheme. The court described the conduct as a severe abuse of power that eroded public trust in the Singapore Prison Service (SPS).
What happened
Mohammad Asri Abd Rahim, 39, a prison officer at Changi Prison Complex, and Mohamad Yusof Kasim, 50, an inmate who helped with housekeeping matters, were each sentenced to 10 months in jail after pleading guilty to three charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. A fourth charge against Asri related to taking a penalty, while a fifth charge was considered in sentencing. Another inmate, Murali Vigneshwaran, 36, who participated in the scheme, received four months’ imprisonment for a single charge.
The motive and what was exchanged
The officer began by handing out Gabapentin pills to attendants who helped with prison chores, initially without payment. By August 2021, Yusof, the inmate assistant, proposed a monetary arrangement in exchange for smuggling contraband items into the prison. This escalated the scheme to include the smuggling of lewd photographs and additional medications.
How the operation worked
Yusof directed outside contacts to pass items into the prison, using coded language to evade detection. In the scheme, terms like
