Former halfway house employee sentenced to 11 weeks' jail for taking bribes

Roy Evan Rajoo corruptly obtained bribes from 12 residents while working as an operations staff member at Teen Challenge (Singapore), said CPIB. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS

SINGAPORE - A former staff member of halfway house Teen Challenge (Singapore) was sentenced to 11 weeks' jail and fined $980 on Friday (Sept 11) for corruption.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said Roy Evan Rajoo, 60, a former operations staff member at Teen Challenge, had corruptly obtained bribes from 12 residents of the halfway house in the form of loans amounting to about $3,000.

Teen Challenge in Old Choa Chu Kang Road provides rehabilitation for young inmates from the Singapore Prison Service placed on community-based programmes.

Roy Evan's duty was to check on the residents and ensure that they did not contravene Teen Challenge's rules prohibiting the consumption and possession of cigarettes and alcohol while they stayed there.

In exchange for the loans he took from residents, he would show leniency by not conducting the required tests on them or not putting up incident reports when they were caught violating the rules.

The CPIB said Roy Evan had also tried to obtain loans from two other residents, but was unsuccessful.

These actions are offences punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and he was charged on June 3.

In a statement, the CPIB said that individuals working in rehabilitation services play an important role in reintegrating inmates into society and should maintain a high standard of integrity for both themselves and those under their charge.

"Those who seek corrupt gratification from residents in these institutions in exchange for being lenient in supervising them will face serious consequences," it said.

Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000, jailed up to five years, or both.

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