SINGAPORE - He was drunk, drove his van up a curb and, when approached by police officers, attempted to bribe them with $50.
But Sergeant Muhammad Sufi Mohd Hussin and Sergeant Sally Chua rejected the money and instructed 46-year-old delivery driver Tock Chan Kok to step out of the van.
Recalling the October 2016 incident, Sergeant Chua said: "When I asked what his intention was, he kept quiet and later said he mistook the $50 note for his IC.
"However, it was clear to us that he was aware of what he was doing," she added.
The officers, who were on foot patrol in Bukit Panjang, then informed their team leader about the attempted bribe, and the case was referred to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
Tock was later jailed for three weeks and fined $2,100 for attempting to bribe two policemen and for offences under the Road Traffic Act.
Sergeant Muhammad Sufi, 26, and Sergeant Chua, 27, were among 13 individuals who were commended by the CPIB on Monday (Feb 11) for rejecting bribes.
Apart from police officers, individuals from the private sector were also commended, such as Mr Mohammed Adrian Hussein, 39.
The liaison officer at CPG Facilities Management was conducting a spot check at an overcrowded Housing Board shophouse in Jurong East in 2017 when he was offered $200 by a tenant, who asked him to be lenient in his inspection report to the Housing Board.
Mr Adrian rejected the bribe and the incident was reported to CPIB.
Director of CPIB, Mr Denis Tang, commended the 13 individuals for being fine examples of honesty and righteousness, and encouraged the public to reject and report acts of corruption if they come across any.
He noted that Singapore was ranked the third least corrupt country out of 180 countries in the 2018 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index, and continues to have a low incidence of corruption.
However, he added that Singapore "cannot afford to be complacent".
"We must continue to cherish and safeguard the values of integrity and incorruptibility which our founding fathers and pioneer generation have taken pains to ingrain and uphold in our society," said Mr Tang.
"We must recognise that if we ever allow corruption to creep back, it will come with tremendous negative repercussions and costs to Singapore's economic development and social mobility."
