Singapore — On Monday (Aug 26), a Singaporean man admitted to bribing a government official in order to get a driver’s licence in Malaysia and for using fake licence plates on his cars.
Zhang Weida (35) was under investigation after the Land Transportation Authority (LTA) found two Malaysian driving licences inside his car.
According to an initial report by Channel News Asia, investigations uncovered that Zhang paid an unknown contact RM7,000 (S$2,310) to get his hands on a Malaysian driving licence in 2009.
He said the contact was introduced to him by a friend. The contact allegedly promised to connect him with an official at the Road Transport Department of Malaysia for a fee.
According to their agreement, Zhang will no longer take a driving or theory test in order to obtain a driving licence. He agreed to the bribe and paid through Western Union money transfers.
Zhang then picked up the licence at a Sheng Siong outlet in Singapore that same year.
He pleaded guilty to 30 traffic-related charges.
He also owned and drove a Suzuki Swift Sport and BMW 320i that were caught with fake licence plates.
LTA discovered that the now impounded Suzuki Swift had a licence plate previously registered to Malaysian woman identified only as Ms Wong.
Zhang incurred several parking and ERP fines for the car after driving along the Pan Island Expressway.
Ms Wong, the real owner of the licence plate, was inconveniently denied entry into Singapore through Woodlands Checkpoint for the traffic violations incurred by Zhang.
She had to submit several documents in order to prove her innocence.
Zhang’s BMW also had fake licence plates and was registered for several illegal parking violations in Singapore since 2018.
The hearing and sentencing is scheduled for Sept 16.
Meanwhile, reports revealed that Zhang also admitted to paying someone to forge documents so a Chinese sex worker he is living with can extend her stay in Singapore. -/TISG