The answer is no, according to the assessment of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) and a separate investigation and intelligence by the Internal Security Department (ISD).

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which also carried out an independent probe to find out if there was criminal liability on anyone's part, also concluded that there was no indication of criminal negligence, intentional omission and collusion by any of the staff at WRDC.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng told Parliament on Monday that determining if there was collusion by officers in WRDC was critical as this could lead to more escapes if it continued undetected.

Reporting the COI's findings, Mr Wong told the House when giving a full account of how the terrorist leader escaped on Feb 27: 'In the course of its inquiry, the COI found no evidence of connivance, collusion or assistance given to Mas Selamat, on the part of any individual.'

'The COI observed that no one individual had full control to bring about the confluence of the material factors at the time of Mas Selamat's escape.'

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The COI, in its executive summary, which was presented by Mr Wong to Parliament on Monday, said that the routine use of the toilet in the family visitation block provided the JI militant with the opportunity to plan his escape.

It also concluded that had the confluence of factors not occurred on Feb 27, he would probably have put off his escape plan.

'Hence the COI believes that Mas Selamat had pre-planned his escape over a period of time and seized the opportunity provided him by the confluence of a number of factors at the material time,' said the committee in its summary.

The ISD, which also immediately launched its own internal investigation to establish if the detainee had received help in escaping, also did not find any evidence to suggest collusion on the part of ISD officers or the guards.

Could Mas Selamat have secured help after his escape?

Mr Wong said: 'While there is no intelligence to confirm this, the possibility cannot be dismissed and is indeed a scenario pursued by ISD even now.'

Officers responsible to be disciplined, penalised

He, however, said that officers responsible for the escape will be disciplined and penalised.

Mr Wong said this will include those at the junior officer level, all the way up the chain of command to the supervisory and management levels of the detention centre.

'There is a proper process for disciplinary action under the Civil Service or Police Force rules and this must take its course.'

The minister said the Commissioner of Police and the director of the Internal Security Department (ISD) have also been told to replace all the WRDC officers - as identified in the Committee of Inquiry report - who were responsible for Mas Selamat's escape.

No criminal charges against anyone: CID chief

Responding to media queries on the CID investigation, its Director Ng Boon Gay said in a statement on Monday: 'The escape was the result of the combination of several factors which were not in the control of any one individual.'

'In addition, there was no direct causation by any of the staff that resulted in the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari that constituted an offence of criminal negligence.'

'Furthermore, none of the staff had deliberately omitted to take any action which would otherwise have prevented the escape of Mas Selamat.'

He said that on completion of the investigation, CID consulted the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) on the case.

'AGC has considered the investigation papers and concluded that there is no basis to lay criminal charges under the Penal Code against any particular individual.'

But Mr Wong said this does not mean that no departmental disciplinary will be taken against the officers accountable for the lapse.

He has asked the Commissioner of Police and ISD Director to investigate the operational lapses realted to the escape and to ascertain accountabilities.

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