SINGAPORE - A senior chief warder who has been charged with eight counts of trying to obtain bribes from an inmate was accused on Thursday (Nov 23) of two fresh charges under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act.
Kobi Krishna Ayavoo, 50, is alleged to have abetted prison officer Firoz Khan Shaik Fazaluddin, 41, by instigating the staff sergeant to secure unauthorised access to data held in the computer system of the Singapore Prison Service.
The case allegedly involves the access of the data of inmate Chong Keng Chye in the Prisons Operations and Rehabilitation System (Ports) on July 24.
Kobi Krishna also allegedly abetted chief warder Mohamed Sarraj Shadul Hameed the same day to similarly access data in Ports for "unspecified information".
Earlier in July, Kobi was hauled to court to face charges of corruptly attempting to get loans of up to $70,000 and cash amounting to $11,000 from Chong to facilitate his request to transfer to a different prison institution.
The alleged offences occurred in Changi Prison between September 2015 and March 2016.
Firoz Khan has been charged with knowingly causing a computer to perform a function for securing access without authority to data held in the prison's computer system by viewing Chong's personal particulars on July 24, 2017.
Kobi Krishna, who is represented by Mr S. Balamurugan, will return to court on Dec 21.
Firoz Khan has indicated that he wishes to plead guilty and is engaging a lawyer. He will be back in court on Dec 7.
Chong, a 48-year-old convicted child batterer, is behind bars for 20 years for one of the worst child abuse cases.
He was sentenced to the maximum period of preventive detention and nine strokes of the cane in October 2005 for abusing his girlfriend's seven-year-old son for more than seven months until his death on June 3, 1999, and for cheating five people of $300,000.
Chong forced the boy to go around naked at home. At times, he would force him to eat his own faeces. At least once, he dripped hot wax on the boy's testicles, claiming it would cure him of his supposed "ailments".
The boy had more than 140 injuries, including spinal fractures, bleeding in the brain and other injuries that appeared to stem from cigarette burns and cuts.
The boy's mother, then 40 and with a low IQ, was sentenced to four years and seven months' jail in 2004.
Chong also abused the boy's two sisters.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said in a statement that Singapore adopts a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and other criminal acts. It added that it takes a serious view of any corrupt practices and will not hesitate to take action against any party involved in such acts.
If convicted, the duo could be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to two years each for computer misuse.
The maximum penalty for corruption is a $100,000 fine and five years in jail.
