Ex-Cisco Certis security officer jailed a week for getting $10 "coffee money" from maid

Former Certis Cisco security guard Kalaiarasan Muniandy was charged with corruption on May 9, 2014. A former Certis Cisco security officer who accepted $10 from an MRT passenger in return for turning a blind eye to her drinking water in a station was
Former Certis Cisco security guard Kalaiarasan Muniandy was charged with corruption on May 9, 2014. A former Certis Cisco security officer who accepted $10 from an MRT passenger in return for turning a blind eye to her drinking water in a station was jailed for a week yesterday. -- ST FILE PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

A former Certis Cisco security officer who accepted $10 from an MRT passenger in return for turning a blind eye to her drinking water in a station was jailed for a week yesterday.

Kalaiarasan Muniandy, 22, caught Indonesian maid Hasna, 34, committing the offence within the fare gates at Paya Lebar station and told her she would be issued a summons for $300.

He wrote down her particulars on a checklist then asked her to call her employers to the MRT station to pay the "fine".

Hasna, who goes by one name, apologised and replied that she was unable to pay the sum as she had only worked for a few months.

She said she had only $10 with her and when she showed him the note he asked whether it was for him to "drink coffee" - then told her to slip it under an open book on his desk. He let her go and blotted out her particulars from the checklist.

His offence, on Jan 19 this year, came to light following information from Ang Mo Kio Police Divison to the anti-graft agency a month later.

The Malaysian, who was attached to the SMRT Corporation at the time, admitted corruption and was also ordered to pay a $10 penalty. He has since lost his job.

He could have been fined up to $100,000 and/or fined up to five years.

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