4 Certis Officers Charged With Corruption and Leaking Official Secrets

Charges Filed Against Certis Officers and Civilian Suspects

The four Certis contract employees were deployed as security officers at checkpoints when the offenses occurred, according to a statement released by Certis on Friday evening in response to media queries. Certis stated that all four men are no longer employed by the company.

Singaporeans Sri Daniah Abdul Razak, 26, Muhammad Haaziq Karudin, 33, Muhammad Khairul Amir Suhaimi, 25, and Mohamad Aziffi Selamat, 32, make up the four former Certis employees. A fifth individual, a 34-year-old Singaporean man named Muhammad Sukaimi Gasali, was also charged on Friday in connection with the case.

Bribes and Operational Information Leaks

Court and agency records show that Sukaimi allegedly paid the security officers a total of S$7,661 over multiple occasions between June 2021 and July 2023. The payments were reportedly made in exchange for the officers not taking enforcement action against him at Jurong Port, according to the CPIB and Singapore Customs press release.

Authorities also stated that Sukaimi allegedly gave Daniah S$2,190 for disclosing confidential information regarding enforcement actions at Tuas Checkpoint on multiple occasions between February 2024 and April 2024. Investigators detailed several other information-sharing arrangements between the suspects:

• Between March 2022 and April 2024, Sukaimi allegedly received information from Haaziq and Daniah concerning enforcement checks at Jurong Port and Tuas Checkpoint.
• Between June 2021 and March 2023, Khairul and Aziffi allegedly provided Sukaimi with details about their work deployments at Jurong Port.

Smuggling and Customs Violations

Beyond corruption and official secrets violations, Daniah allegedly worked with Sukaimi and another individual to import 22 cartons and 470 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes, authorities reported. During subsequent searches, law enforcement discovered 16 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes at Sukaimi’s residence and nine packets at Daniah’s residence.

The total excise duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded through these smuggling activities amounted to approximately S$10,914, according to government agencies.

Individual Charges and Legal Penalties

The suspects face numerous criminal counts depending on their alleged involvement. Among his counts, Sukaimi faces two charges of abetment by engaging in a conspiracy to import uncustomed goods, six amalgamated charges of corruption, four charges under the Official Secrets Act, with three of those being amalgamated, four charges for storing uncustomed goods, and two charges for dealing with uncustomed goods. Daniah faces corruption, Official Secrets Act, conspiracy, and storage charges. Haaziq, Khairul, and Aziffi face varying combinations of amalgamated corruption charges and Official Secrets Act violations.

Under Singapore law, individuals convicted of a corruption offense can be fined up to S$100,000, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. Convictions on amalgamated offenses carry up to twice the standard punishment. Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act carries penalties of a fine up to S$2,000 and up to two years in jail, while customs offenders dealing in duty-unpaid goods face fines of up to 40 times the duty and GST evaded and potential prison sentences of up to six years.