3 CNB officers charged with obstructing course of justice

(From left) Staff Sergeant Abdul Rahman Kadir, Staff Sergeant Mohamed Hafiz Lan and Sergeant Muhammad Zuhairi Zainuri were each charged on Oct 18, 2019, with one count of intentionally obstructing the course of justice. ST PHOTOS: WONG KWAI CHOW

Three Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officers allegedly worked together to obstruct the course of justice in a case involving a urine sample that had been tampered with.

One of them is said to have used his own urine sample to replace the one belonging to a man being tested for drug consumption.

The three officers, who have been suspended since July, were each charged yesterday with one count of intentionally obstructing the course of justice.

They are accused of committing the offences on the third storey of Woodlands Checkpoint Block B on Aug 16 last year.

Court statements said that Mohamed Hafiz Lan, 41, a staff sergeant, allegedly used his own urine sample to replace the one from a man identified as Maung Moe Min. As a result, Maung passed a urine test for drugs.

Court documents did not reveal his details and the outcome of his case.

Abdul Rahman Kadir, a 43-year-old staff sergeant, and Muhammad Zuhairi Zainuri, a 31-year-old sergeant, are accused of engaging in a conspiracy with Hafiz to commit the offence.

It was not stated what the trio purportedly received in return.

In a statement, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said that law enforcement officers have a duty to maintain the rule of law and uphold justice.

It added: "Those who choose to obstruct the course of justice must bear the full weight of the law.

"All public officers, including those in law enforcement, are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity when carrying out their duties. The CPIB will not hesitate to take errant public officers to task."

The three men were each offered bail of $10,000.

Hafiz will be back in court on Nov 8, while the pre-trial conferences of his alleged accomplices will be held on Nov 14.

CNB said in a statement yesterday that it does not condone any act of misconduct by its officers, and takes a serious view of all complaints or allegations made against them.

"In the course of a particular drug investigation, we found possible acts of misconduct by three CNB officers. We immediately referred the matter to the CPIB for investigations, and provided full cooperation to CPIB during its investigations," said a spokesman for CNB.

Offenders convicted of intentionally obstructing the course of justice can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 19, 2019, with the headline 3 CNB officers charged with obstructing course of justice. Subscribe