Female Chinese tourist charged after allegedly bribing NEA officers who caught her smoking on Orchard Rd

SINGAPORE: The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 4) that a female Chinese national had been charged in court due to an incident of alleged bribery.

The woman in question is 38-year-old Lin Qin (林琴), who was in Singapore last year on a social visit pass.

On September 30, 2025, Lin allegedly offered a bribe to two National Environment Agency (NEA) enforcement officers, Koh Jun Song and Wai Mei Ying. She offered the two officers S$120 after she got caught smoking in a non-designated area near Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road.

Lin wanted the officers to turn a blind eye to her offence and not take any enforcement actions against her.

The officers rejected the bribe, and Lin’s case was then referred to the CPIB.

She now faces one charge punishable under Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. An individual who is found guilty of a corruption offence under the Act may face a fine of as much as S$100,000, a jail sentence of as long as five years, or both.

“Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) looks into all corruption-related complaints and reports, including anonymous ones,” the statement added.

Anyone who would like to report a complaint may do so by lodging an e-Complaint, sending an email to [email protected], calling the CPIB Duty Officer at 1800-376-0000, or writing to the CPIB Headquarters @ 2 Lengkok Bahru, S159047.

CPIB asks that, where possible, complaint reports should include where, when, and how the alleged corrupt act happened; who was involved and what their roles were; and what the bribe given was and the favour shown.

“Under the law, the identity of the person making the report will be kept confidential, except when the court finds that the person has made a false statement in his corruption complaint. Complainants may also choose not to reveal their personal details when lodging a corruption complaint,” CPIB added.

In Singapore, the amount of money offered in a bribery incident does not really matter, as the Government takes the zero-tolerance approach very seriously indeed.

In 2024, a 33-year-old man from Myanmar was sentenced to 12 days in jail after he tried to bribe an NEA officer who had caught him littering. He offered her S$10, and she told him to keep his money. He later pleaded guilty to one charge under the Prevention of Corruption Act. /TISG

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