SINGAPORE – When Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer Ernest Low was offered a bribe at Changi Airport, he knew it would be a long day as he would have to question the traveller.
The man, a Chinese national who had earlier been stopped by ICA from entering Singapore, handed Low a $100 bill on the afternoon of March 2, 2025, in an attempt to remain here.
On Sept 18, 2026, at the Raffles City Convention Centre, Low was one of 21 officers from ICA, the Singapore Police Force, Certis and Aetos who were lauded for preventing and reporting corrupt practices.
In the 2025 incident, after Low was offered the money, he asked the traveller what it was for. The man said he had spent money to travel to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur and did not want his prior bookings to be in vain.
Low rejected the bribe, informed him that this was a crime and detained him. The 36-year-old traveller was sentenced to three weeks’ jail in April 2025.
Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Desmond Tan presented the awards at the 2026 event organised by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
He commended the officers for having integrity at work, even when people do not notice.
Low, 29, who is now a manager in the policy and development division at ICA, said of the 2025 case: “My immediate reaction was to make sure that I rejected his bribe very clearly so it would be clear to everybody that ICA officers act with integrity.”
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