The court heard that since mid-2022, Hafidz had been part of a foreign workers management team responsible for patrolling the area around Geylang Lorong 17 to 25, 30 and 40.
He was employed by Dynamiz Security and contracted to Certis Cisco as a security officer, and in turn deployed to SPF.
SPF had formed foreign workers management teams to patrol areas where foreign workers congregate, as part of its efforts to enforce law and order. Each team comprised auxiliary police officers, who were armed and in uniform, and security officers, who were unarmed and in polo T-shirts.
SPF entered into a contract with Certis Cisco to supply officers for these teams.
The officers would patrol specified areas and enforce various regulations against offences such as littering, the sale of contraband cigarettes, and sales of illegal sex enhancement drugs and pills.
When they encountered such offences, the officers had to detain the offenders, seize any illicit items and inform the police.
If the offenders could not be detained, they had to seize the items and take them to a designated police station to lodge a seizure report, then hand over the items to the police.
HOW THE PLAN WORKED
Around May 2022, Hafizudin hatched a plan with another team member – auxiliary police officer Thiru Murugan Shanmugam, a 30-year-old Malaysian. Thiru had been in a foreign workers management team since 2015.
The plan involved obtaining gratification from sex enhancement drug peddlers whom they encountered during their patrols. In return for taking money from them, the pair would refrain from taking law enforcement action as required by the police.
They approached one such peddler, Chinese national Chen Zixiong, whom they had previously encountered during their patrols.
From May to June 2022, Hafizudin abetted Thiru on two occasions to obtain S$140 in bribes. They split the money equally.
To pull off the plan, Thiru and Haifuzudin first seized the sex enhancement drugs from Chen as per protocol. They then kept a portion without reporting it to the police, with Hafizudin taking a photo of the drugs and sending it to Thiru.
After the rest of their team left, Thiru secretly approached Chen in person and offered to return the portion of the seized drugs, if Chen agreed to pay a specific sum of money. The sum would be a few times higher than the price of the drugs.
Thiru also showed Chen the photo that Hafizudin had taken.
When Chen agreed, he then placed the cash in a cigarette box and put it at a location as instructed by Thiru over WhatsApp or Telegram.
Thiru or Hafizudin would collect the money and return the sex enhancement drugs to Chen by telling him to pick them up from a specified location.
On some occasions, the officers also tipped Chen off about law enforcement raids, including when and where the team would conduct patrols.
The court further heard that Chen agreed to the plan so he would not get into trouble with the law, and also out of fear of the repercussions if he was to refuse.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau received information about Thiru’s and Hafizudin’s offences on Aug 29, 2022.
Hafizudin was placed on a stop list and arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint about two weeks later.
For corruption, he could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$100,000, or both.
Thiru and Chen have been charged in court and their cases are pending.