A 68-year-old man who attempted to bribe a building inspection officer with cigarettes was jailed for three weeks yesterday.

Lam Kim Heng, the operator of Heng Heng Eating House, was charged on Feb 22 with corruptly offering a packet of cigarettes worth $12.10 to Mr Mohd Dzulkarnain Hussein, who works for CPG Facilities Management.

He did this so that Mr Dzulkarnain would inform him in advance of future inspections at the coffee shop.

In a statement yesterday, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said Mr Dzulkarnain was conducting a check for violations of Housing Board regulations on Oct 14 last year. CPG Facilities Management was an appointed agent for HDB. Those found to have breached any HDB rules during the inspection may be issued summonses.

During the inspection, Lam approached Mr Dzulkarnain at the back of the coffee shop and made the offer but Mr Dzulkarnain rejected him. The matter was subsequently reported to CPIB.

CPIB said it is an offence to bribe, or attempt to offer a bribe in Singapore, and the Republic adopts a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. Anyone convicted of a corruption offence may be fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years.

"The CPIB takes a serious view of any corrupt practices and will not hesitate to take action against any party involved in such acts," the statement said.

Correction note: This story has been edited for clarity