SINGAPORE, June 15 — One police officer and two former police officers were among five men charged with a total of 19 counts of corruption and violation of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) this morning.

The cop and two ex-cops had allegedly abused their power to give favours and unauthorised information in return for gratification.

Senior Staff Sergeant Shukor Warji was slapped with one charge each of failing to arrest a former police officer who offered him a S$2,000 (RM6,181.84) bribe to wrongfully arrest someone, as well as one charge of unauthorised communication of arrest information. 

Shukor, 46, was said to have communicated restricted information of the arrest of an Ng Kok Tiong to former police officer Tan Bee Song on May 29, 2015, violating the OSA. 

Tan had also offered Shukor a S$2,000 bribe to wrongfully arrest a Hoon Tian Jie in July last year, but Shukor did not apprehend him. 

Tan, a former police senior staff sergeant, faced four charges.

Besides the two charges of bribing Shukor and receiving unauthorised information from him, Tan was also slapped with one count of agreeing to receive a S$4,000 bribe, as well as another count of unauthorised communication of arrest information to a third party. 

Tan had passed on restricted information received from Shukor about Ng’s arrest to a Goh Siong Kiat. 

Businessman Yee Kok Siong — who was also charged with corruption this morning — had also given Tan a S$4,000 bribe last July to get Hoon wrongfully arrested.

A second ex-cop, former police station inspector Lam Guo Long Terence was charged with two counts of unauthorised communication of restricted photos of suspects arrested for rioting to dispatch driver Lim Sua Huat.

On two occasions — once in October 2015 and another on Jan 19 last year — Lam, 37, was said to have shown and sent via Whatsapp to Lim the photos of 18 people who were arrested on rioting offences. 

Lam also faced another two counts of corruptly receiving a S$500 bribe from Lim in return, as well as one count of failing to arrest Lim who had given him the bribe. 

Lim, who was slapped with the most charges this morning, faced four corruption charges and three other charges for contravening the OSA. 

The 61-year-old had in December 2015, allegedly bribed Lam into showing photographs of the 13 suspects arrested on rioting offences, and again bribed Lam in January last year into sending him the photographs of another five suspects arrested for rioting via Whatsapp. 

Lim was also said to have then told a Goh Lay Poh about the five photos — an act that violates the OSA. 

He had also allegedly received a S$3,000 bribe from another Goh Siong Kiat, on account of an Immigration and Checkpoint Authority investigation officer, as a reward to the said officer to be lenient towards Ng Thiam Teck, who was the suspect under ICA investigation. 

Lim was also said to have bribed Lam sometime between October and November in 2015 to be lenient to a Pua Kok Siong who was being investigated on rioting offences.

If convicted of offering and receiving the bribes, Lim, Lam, Tan and Yee could face a jail term of up to five years, and/or a fine of up to S$100,000. 

If found guilty of failure to arrest a person for bribing, Lam and Shukor could be sentenced to a jail term of up to six months, or fined up to S$5,000, or both. 

For failure to comply to the Official Secrets Act, Lim, Lam, Tan and Shukor could face a jail sentence of up to two years, and/or a fine of not exceeding S$2,000.  

In a media release, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said it takes a "serious view of any corrupt and criminal practices” and will come down hard on any party involved in such acts. 

"Those who abuse their position to give favours and unauthorised information in return for gratification will face dire consequences,” the CPIB added. 

All five will next appear in court on July 6, and are out on bail. — TODAY