Ex-IRAS investigator charged in court with gaining unauthorised access to tax information

Also charged was Loh Chee Wee, 50, a director of Transstar Asia.

On Jul 29, 2014, Loh allegedly asked Mansur to find out whether a company sharing office space with Transstar Asia was under investigation by IRAS.

Mansur is said to have obtained the information from IRAS’ systems and disclosed it to Loh, who was not authorised to receive it.

Loh was given one charge under the OSA for allegedly receiving protected information from Mansur. 

In court, Loh did not indicate whether he was pleading guilty. 

Both accused men’s cases will return to court on Aug 19. 

In a statement to CNA on Wednesday, IRAS said it takes a serious view of any unauthorised access to taxpayer information or unauthorised disclosure of confidential information. 

“We maintain strict controls to safeguard taxpayer information, such as system access controls, audit logs and regular checks. Any staff member who breaches these obligations will face firm disciplinary action, including referral for investigation and prosecution where warranted,” IRAS said. 

Under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act, a person convicted of unauthorised access to computer material may be jailed for up to two years, or fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900), or both.

Under the OSA, a person convicted of an offence may be jailed for up to two years and fined up to S$2,000.