SINGAPORE – A man working as a prison workshop supervisor was allegedly bribed $1,200 by four inmates to buy and smuggle in Epam pills, which contain the sedative nitrazepam, for them.

Calvin Ang Wei Sheng, 39, allegedly committed the offences between September and October 2021 when he was a workshop supervisor for New Hope Food Industries.

He allegedly accepted the monies from four inmates – Muhammad Shaifullah Ab Latif, 36; Sidek Jamaludin, 42; Irees Rahman, 50; and Ismail Musun Mollah, 57.

The five men were charged with graft in a district court on Friday.

Ang was handed five charges of corruption, while Ismail is accused of two counts of corruption.

The other three men face one charge each.

Each inmate allegedly gave Ang between $200 and $500 in bribes.

Without revealing details, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said in a statement on Friday that it found out about Ang’s alleged offences in early October 2021.

Its spokesman said: “SPS conducted internal investigations to verify the information received, and promptly lodged a police report. Calvin was barred from entering SPS premises, and the inmates who were alleged to be involved were isolated from other inmates.

“SPS conducted a thorough search of the workshop, inmates’ cells and common areas, and uncovered some of the contraband pills. The case was subsequently referred to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) for further investigation.”

SPS added that it has security measures in place to screen all personnel and goods entering prison premises. They include walk-through metal detectors, handheld metal detector screening and random frisk searches.

The CPIB said that nitrazepam is a medicine with sedative effects used in the treatment of conditions such as insomnia or sleeping disorders.

All five men are expected to plead guilty on Jan 12, 2023.

For each graft charge, an offender can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.