SINGAPORE, May 26 – A former assistant superintendent of police was reportedly sentenced to nine years in jail by a Singapore court today for accepting S$47,700 (RM156,719) in bribes from a man linked to illegal gambling activities nearly two decades ago.
According to The Straits Times, the officer, Koh Kian Tiong — also known as Mark Koh — had been on the run since 2007 and was arrested in 2024 after being deported from China.
The court also reportedly fined him S$1,000 and ordered him to repay the full sum of bribes, failing which he would face an additional 47 days and one week in jail.
At the time of the offences in 2006, Koh was reportedly serving with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and had received the bribes from Chua Chin Hoe, who was known for running illegal gambling dens.
In exchange, Koh was said to have provided Chua with confidential information about ongoing police operations that could affect the latter's criminal activities.
He also reportedly introduced Chua to other CID officers, who were subsequently entertained with free drinks and hospitality, with Chua spending at least S$27,000 on such sessions.
On May 21, Koh reportedly pleaded guilty in court to five counts of corruption involving S$31,000 in bribes, as well as one count of desertion under the Police Force Act.
Another ten corruption charges, related to the remaining S$16,700, were reportedly taken into consideration during sentencing.
Koh was said to have fled Singapore in 2007 after learning he was under investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and was later jailed in China for unrelated offences before being deported to Singapore in April 2024.
