Update: In a joint statement on February 13, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Prison Service (SPS) asserted that the accusations made by Brochez were all phoney.
Mikhy K Farrera Brochez, the foreigner whom the Government has identified as the mastermind of the HIV Registry data leak, has broken his silence on social media and declared his innocence.
Last month, the Government said that the confidential records of 14,200 individuals diagnosed with HIV are in the illegal possession of Brochez, who was said to have accessed the HIV Registry and stolen the record through his partner, Singaporean doctor Ler Teck Siang.
In a lengthy post on Facebook today, Brochez calls the allegations against him “blatantly false” and asserts that he did not steal the HIV database or leak it to the public. Brochez instead claims that the database was stolen in 2012 by a man who had an affair with Ler Teck Siang. Brochez said:
“I am breaking my silence. The allegations being made against me by the Lee regime in Singapore are blatantly false. I did not steal this database nor did I leak it to the public.
“The database was stolen in 2012 by Zachary Levine and an Indonesian named Fairuz Widjat. Mr. Levine had a sexual realtionship with my spouse while living with his then boyfriend LW’s parents. Mr. Levine was unhappy with his living arrangements and the fact that his boyfriend wouldn’t come out of the closet to his parents.
“He attemped to talk Teck Siang into kicking me out so that he could move in with Teck Siang. Teck Siang broke off his relationship with Mr. Levine. When this happened Mr. Levine continued to harass us and even broke into our home on multiple occasions. Mr. Levine even stole Teck Siang’s work computer.”
Brochez said that he saw Levine made a social media post about the HIV Registry in 2012 and that he alerted a Dr Jeffery Cutter at the Ministry of Health (MOH) about the matter.
Alleging that “Dr. Cutter and his staff chose cover this matter up,” Brochez claimed that he “elevated the matter to Dr. Amy Khor in October, 2013.”
Refuting the MOH’s statement that it only became aware of the data leak in 2016, Brochez alleged that he alerted the authorities of the data theft and “provided evidence repeatedly in 2012 and 2013.”
Alleging that an MOH staff told him that such a data leak is not against the law and that other officials “threatened” him for his silence, Brochez asserted that he has recordings of his meetings with the authorities and copies of emails to back his claims. He said:
“I call on the Lee regime in Singapore to be honest and release this email if they have nothing to hide. You have a chance to resolve this before you are publicly embarassed. You have been honest about one thing. I do have a lot more evidence. I recorded my meetings with MOH. I can release these recordings. Your allegations that I was uncooperative are completely false.
“I sought help with multiple government agencies and I was repeatedly turned away or referred back to the Ministry of Health. Dr. Jeffery Cutter and Michael Ang the Deputy Director of Investigations repeatedly threatened me to gain my silence.
“Further the allegation that MOH only became aware of the data leak in April of 2016 is also false. I provided evidence repeatedly in 2012 and 2013. I also provided to Dr. Amy Khor. I did attempt to pass evidence of the data leak to Lim Eng Peng and Wilfred Dennis who are managers at the Ministry of Health. They refused to look or take the proof. Mr. Dennis even went on to say that there was nothing wrong with that being made public and that it wasn’t against the law in Singapore.”
Brochez further alleged that the home he shared with his husband was raided and computers were seized “under false charges in 2016.” Alleging that the authorities “thought they had covered up the matter,” Brochez claimed that the Government “believed that they had recovered all proof of the data leak from 2012 and that by publicly discrediting us with baseless charges and accusations would insulate them from any responsibility.”
He added: “The fact is that the Minsitry of Health has been using outdated software and inadequate security procedures to store confiendital medal [sic] data in the cyber age.”
Alleging that the “HIV registry is used to specifically target men who have sex with men,” and that the database is used to criminalise homosexuality, Brochez claims that the Government “hates the LGBT community.”
Brochez then revealed that he was given a list of HIV positive prisoners by a treating physician while he was imprisoned. Brochez claims the doctor gave him the list because he was “overly stressed from all the political pressures on him as he originally told me after blood test that I wasn’t HIV positive.”
Claiming that he was not HIV positive when he was imprisoned, Brochez claimed that he was infected with HIV when he was allegedly raped by other inmates while he was imprisoned. He said:
“I was placed in a cell with Muslim inmates where I was gang raped and infected with HIV. When I reported to the raped to the commanding officer DSP Nizar of Changi Prison B2 Complex. I was told “well you’re gay you should enjoy it.” That is no different from telling a women… “well you’re female you should enjoy it.””
Accusing the authorities of withholding medication, interfering with his medical treatment, and of beating and torturing him, Brochez expressed concern for his partner’s safety: “I do not know where my husband Dr. Ler Teck Siang is at the moment. I am scared for his life. I was beaten and tortured by Singaporean officicials [sic] as an American.”
Sharing emails he sent to various Government agencies seeking help over the matter in 2016, Brochez asked: “If I am the one who stole and leaked this data then why was I seeking help with the data leak in 2016.”
Brochez also said that the screenshots of the emails he has shared are “signed by myself and Assistant Superintendent Cindi Koh of the Special Investigative Section.”
He added: “I had to fight in court to get these documents. The redaction of the HIV registry was done by Singapore’s Attorney General Chambers. I sent proof to government agencies of the data leak.”
Alleging that Singapore has not been cooperating with American officials, Brochez said he has reached out to the Singapore Government offering to surrender himself but that he has received no response to the email.
Read his post in full here:
I am breaking my silence. The allegations being made against me by the Lee regime in Singapore are blatantly false. I…
Posted by Mikhy Brochez on Tuesday, 12 February 2019