NEA officer who handled burial operations charged with obtaining over $20k in bribes
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Abdul Salam Jahabar Sadiq was handed 10 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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- NEA officer Abdul Salam Jahabar Sadiq faces 10 corruption charges for allegedly taking $21,000 in bribes from individuals in funeral-related businesses.
- Salam, a verification officer, allegedly accepted "loans" between 2022 and 2023 to ignore malpractices; NEA referred the case to CPIB.
- Salam disputes the charges, claiming he only took loans and lacked an interpreter; he faces a fine up to $100,000 and/or five years' jail.
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SINGAPORE - A National Environment Agency (NEA) officer who handled burial operations was charged in court on Nov 10 with allegedly obtaining about $21,000 in bribes from 10 people.
These individuals’ companies provide funeral-related services or cemetery-related works, said the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in a press release.
Abdul Salam Jahabar Sadiq, 47, was handed 10 charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Two were amalgamated charges, where multiple alleged incidents are taken together in a single offence.
CPIB said Salam, a Singapore permanent resident, was a verification officer in the burial operations section at NEA.
Charge sheets state that Salam allegedly obtained the bribes, in the form of loans, between 2022 and 2023 from the owners of several companies.
These companies are Mohamed Kubur Services, Kim Zhu Stone Carving Trading, Jasabudi Muslim Casket Services and Marble Contractor, Md Akbar International Islamic Casket, Saith Services, Lian Hock Construction, Urusan Jenazah Ma’al Hijrah & Marble Contractor, and Qalifah Services.
Salam also purportedly took bribes from an administrative staff member of Takdir I.S.L.A.M.I.C. Services and freelance funeral service provider Muhammad Hafiz Mohamed Nasir.
The bribes were an inducement for Salam to refrain from reporting any malpractices committed by the 10 individuals, added CPIB.
The bureau said the case was referred to them by NEA.
Disputing the charges in court, Salam said he was not provided with an interpreter when making a statement to CPIB. He said he told the bureau that he had taken only loans.
The Indian national also asked for permission to return to India in November to participate in prayers for his mother’s death anniversary.
Salam will return to court on Nov 13 regarding his application to leave the country.
CPIB did not mention if the 10 individuals involved in Salam’s case will be facing criminal charges.
NEA told the media on Nov 10 that Salam has been suspended since his arrest by CPIB, and that NEA will commence internal disciplinary proceedings after the court case concludes.
The agency added that follow-up action will be taken against any parties found to have engaged in malpractice at NEA-managed facilities.
Noting that NEA maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, it said: “We expect all officers to fully comply with the relevant laws and uphold the code of conduct for public officers. Stern disciplinary action will be taken for non-compliance.”
For each charge, Salam, if convicted, faces a fine of up to $100,000, or a jail term of up to five years, or both. For amalgamated charges, he faces twice the amount of punishment liable for that offence.
