On July 15, 2025, Chen Guangyun, a 39-year-old Chinese national, was sentenced to three years’ jail and six strokes of the cane after being convicted of four counts of graft and two immigration-related offences. His offences spanned across years and involved multiple illegal entries into Singapore, the bribery of a police officer, and other criminal conduct.
Chen first came to Singapore lawfully on October 20, 2014, but overstayed his visa. He was convicted on January 25, 2017, for overstaying and other offences, for which he received a six-month jail sentence and three strokes of the cane. He was deported in June 2017 and banned from re-entering the country.
However, Chen defied the ban and returned illegally by boat. He was caught by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers and was charged again on June 8, 2019, for immigration offences. This marked the beginning of a prolonged cycle of illegal conduct involving bribery and multiple offences.
In or around 2019, Chen met Poo Tze Chiang during a drinking session. Poo, then a 47-year-old station inspector with the Singapore Police Force’s Secret Societies Branch, introduced himself as a police officer and showed his warrant card to Chen. The two remained in casual contact after the meeting.
At the time, Chen was facing a pending case for unlawful entry into Singapore. Poo exploited this situation by claiming he could help reduce Chen’s punishment and prevent further prosecution. He asked for $8,000 in return for his assistance, which Chen handed over in cash around Lorong 27 Geylang in or around July 2019.
Following this, Poo proposed a plan to make Chen a police informant, suggesting that such a status might allow Chen to remain in Singapore legally. However, Poo conditioned this arrangement on a monthly payment of $3,000 from Chen. Between August 2019 and January 2020, Chen paid a total of $18,000 to Poo, but never provided any actual information as an informant.
Still hoping to secure leniency, Chen paid an additional $10,000 to Poo. In total, Chen gave $36,000 in bribes. Despite these payments, Poo failed to deliver on his promises. Chen’s charges were upheld, and he pleaded guilty on March 30, 2020, to entering Singapore without a valid pass. He was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail and four strokes of the cane. On May 4, 2020, he was deported again.
Chen returned to China but reappeared in the case in early 2021 when he learned that the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was investigating Poo for unrelated corruption offences. Still desperate to return to Singapore for work, Chen contacted CPIB to report the bribes he had previously paid to Poo.
Despite his past deportations, Chen illegally entered Singapore again in or around September 2022. He was arrested in April 2023 after being involved in a fight. He was then charged again for immigration-related offences.
After a trial, District Judge John Ng convicted both Chen and Poo in February 2025 on four counts of graft. Poo, who is no longer a police officer, is currently serving a separate jail term for unrelated offences. As for Chen, his sentencing on July 15, 2025, marks the end of a long legal saga characterized by repeated violations, failed bribery attempts, and illegal re-entries.
Two other charges, including one count of assault, were considered during his sentencing. The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors David Menon and Bryan Wong.
This case illustrates the severe consequences for both corruption and immigration offences in Singapore. The law continues to impose strict penalties on both those who attempt to bribe officials and the officials who abuse their power. Chen’s repeated illegal entries and his desperate attempts to remain in Singapore through unlawful means ultimately led to yet another jail sentence and corporal punishment.
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