A tourist transiting in Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) has been sentenced to four weeks jail time after she attempted to bribe airport officials with cash.
The Chinese tourist, who flew in from Koh Samui in Thailand, had a connecting flight in Singapore bound for Amsterdam.
When the 52-year old traveler and her companion attempted to board a flight to Amsterdam with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on October 17, 2023, airport staff found that they did not possess visas to enter the Netherlands. The pair were then denied boarding.
The court heard that the tourist put her hand around a security staff member’s shoulder and gave him SGD 70 ($50), requesting that he speak to airline staff to allow them to board the flight.
The staff member refused the tourist’s cash offer, but went to the check-in desk to see whether the pair could board the flight. The KLM staff again advised that because the travelers did not hold visas to enter the Netherlands, the airline could not allow them to board.
The travelers still remained at the gate, and another security officer came to assess the situation. When the officer asked the tourist for her passport, she handed the document with $50 concealed within the pages.
The traveler’s bribe was refused once again, and she was eventually arrested for attempting to bribe two airport officials.
On November 8, 2023, the traveler was handed a four week jail sentence after pleading guilty to offering a gratification to an agent under Singapore’s Prevention of Corruption Act.