Officer: Are you aware that it’s illegal to park here, Sir?
Driver: Oh, I didn’t know. How could I have known?
Officer: Well, there’s a NO PARKING sign right next to your car.
Driver: Oh right. You see I-
Officer: I’ll have to give you a parking summons, Sir.
Driver: Oh no no, what if we just… forget about it? *slides $50 note over to officer*
Officer: Why are you giving this to me? *slides back $50 note along with parking summons*
Driver: Well, how about we pretend that I paid for what I did? *slides $50 note back again and winks*
Officer: Is there something wrong with your eye? And why do you keep giving me this $50 note before you’re even fined? It makes no sen-
Driver: I’M TRYING TO BRIBE YOU, YOU IDIOT!
Officer: Aha, got you! Take him away boys! And do you know the fine for illegal parking here is only $70!
Driver Tried to Bribe Officer for Parking Offence with $50 & Might be Jailed Up to 5 Years
The above conversation may not have taken place, but the gist of it is absolutely true.
A 40-year-old driver working in Singapore was charged on Thursday (27 Feb) for bribing an enforcement officer to get out of a parking summons, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said in a news release.
The man, Wang Baoyu, is accused of offering S$50 to a former Certis CISCO auxiliary police force enforcement officer Mr Muhammad Ridhwan Razali after being caught parking illegally.
According to CPIB, the Chinese national was a driver for Poh Tiong Choon Logistics Limited when he committed the offence on 1 April 2019.
Maybe he would have got away if he’d said it was an April’s Fool joke, you know.
Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to S$100,000 or sentenced to jail for up to five years or both, CNA reported.
“The CPIB would like to commend Mr Ridhwan for his act of integrity by rejecting the bribe, which exemplifies one of the core values of our society,” CPIB added.
Second Bribe Case Reported in a Week
This may come as a shock to you, but this is the second case involving an attempted bribe this week.
On Friday (21 Feb), a lorry driver was sentenced to 4 weeks’ jail for trying to bribe a Traffic Police (TP) officer.
When he was caught not wearing his seatbealt, the man “persistently offered” S$100 to the TP officer to not issue a traffic summons.
Obviously, he was rejected.
You see, dear reader, trying to bribe an official in Singapore is like trying to eat a Mala Murtabak: it rarely happens, and when it does, it usually doesn’t end well.
So, the next time you’re caught for a traffic violation, just hang your head in shame and accept your punishment, unless a few demerit points or a fine sounds worse to you than jailtime.
