2 former Certis officers jailed for accepting over $4,000 in bribes

SINGAPORE – Two men who accepted more than $4,000 in bribes from a mobile crane operator were jailed on Oct 21.

Mohamad Aziffi Selamat, 32, was sentenced to one year and eight months’ jail, and ordered to pay a penalty of $3,450, for failing to take enforcement action against a man who was smuggling contraband cigarettes into Jurong Port.

Muhammad Khairul Amir Suhaimi, 25, was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a penalty of $600 for a similar offence.

The two men had each pleaded guilty to

one count of corruption as well as an offence under the Official Secrets Act

, for sharing their deployment information and operational details.

Aziffi will serve an additional 15 days in jail, and Khairul will serve another three days behind bars in default for not paying the penalties, the court heard.

They were working as security officers for Certis, which was contracted by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, when they were deployed at Jurong Port.

They were tasked to take enforcement action against those who attempt to smuggle contraband items into Singapore via the port, among other duties.

Aziffi met crane operator Muhammad Sukaimi Gasali, 34, in 2021 while conducting routine vehicle checks at the port.

Sukaimi told Aziffi that he was smuggling contraband cigarettes through the port, and offered him money if he facilitated the operation.

Aziffi agreed, and Sukaimi conducted smuggling operations on 36 occasions between June 2021 and June 2022.

The crane operator had a similar arrangement with Khairul, whom he met around early 2023.

The prosecutor told the court that as a result, Sukaimi managed to smuggle contraband cigarettes on four occasions that year, between March 16 and May 16.

Aziffi and Khairul were arrested in August 2024.

Sukaimi’s case is before the courts.

For sharing confidential information under the Official Secrets Act, an offender can be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for up to two years.

For accepting bribes, an offender can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.