SINGAPORE - A South Korean prostitute who tried to bribe police after they arrested her in an Orchard Road hotel was jailed for two months on Thursday (July 23).
Hwang Eunmi, 37, was caught in a vice raid on Hotel Jen on June 19 and offered the five officers $1,550 to release her from custody.
After retrieving a box containing the money she placed it on the bed and told the cops in English: "Take the money, I want to go back to Korea tomorrow."
They rejected her offer, but Hwang persisted.
She had been in Singapore on a 90-day Social Visit Pass.
In court on Thursday, she pleaded guilty to one charge of corruptly offering gratification to a policeman as an inducement to release her from custody.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Norman Yew urged the court to jail Hwang for two to three months.
In mitigation, lawyer Christopher Bridges said his client is not fluent in English, and had repeated the bribe offer "in a state of panic".
"The offence occurred on the spur of the moment," he added.
Hwang has no prior criminal record and also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, he added.
In passing sentence, District Judge Christopher Goh said: "We should send a signal to everyone that if you are caught doing this, either as a giver or as a receiver, then the sentence imposed will be severe".
For corruptly offering gratification as an inducement or reward, Hwang could have been fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both.
