StraitsTimes
An unemployed Singaporean, who was banned from entering Malaysia, repeatedly used his younger brother’s passport to enter the country and did so with his sibling’s permission.
Court papers did not mention why Chong Teck Sian, 55, was not allowed to enter Malaysia but said he went across to buy illegal drugs.
Chong Teck Sian, who pleaded guilty last month to three counts of mischief, two drug-related charges and one count of using Chong Choong Siang’s passport to travel, was jailed for 1 1/2 years on Wednesday (March 7).
Six other charges, including three more for using his brother’s passport at the Woodlands Checkpoint without a reasonable excuse, were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Chong Choong Siang, 54, a hotel cleaner, was jailed for six months on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty last month to one count of handing over his passport to his brother to allow him to travel. Three other charges for similar offences were taken into consideration.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jason Chua said that Chong Teck Sian learnt in November 2014 that the Malaysian Immigration Authority had banned him from entering the country.
The court heard that he later discovered that he could pass off as his brother as he resembled the photograph on Chong Choong Siang’s passport.
He asked his brother to lend him his passport and the cleaner agreed.
Chong Teck Sian then illegally used it to travel to Malaysia on July 28 last year. He went to Plaza Pelangi shopping centre in Johor Baru to buy a packet of ketamine for RM240 (about S$80).
DPP Chua said that he usually consumed the drug before returning to Singapore. But this time round, he dropped the packet of ketamine by the side of the driver’s seat and forgot about it. The drugs were later found in his car on Aug 15 last year.
Separately, at around 11.50am on March 23 last year, Chong Teck Sian entered the basement carpark of the SingTel Comcentre in Exeter Road near Orchard Road and splashed paint remover on six stationary vehicles, causing nearly $49,000 in damages.
He committed the offence as he was a disgruntled SingTel customer who had billing issues with the company, said DPP Chua.
The brothers were represented by lawyer Choo Si Sen who told District Judge Kessler Soh that Chong Teck Sian had made restitution of $40,000 to the vehicle owners.
For allowing his brother to make use of his passport to travel, Chong Choong Siang could have been jailed for up to three years and fined up to $5,000.
And for making use of another person’s passport, Chong Teck Sian could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $10,000.