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SINGAPORE \u2013 Within around 3\u00bd months, a Certis security officer deployed to Jurong Port facilitated 26 cigarette smuggling operations and received $1,572 in bribes.<\/p>\n
On April 14, Muhammad Haaziq Karudin, 34, who is no longer working for the security company, pleaded guilty to one count each of graft and sharing confidential information about his work schedule with another person, an offence under the Official Secrets Act.<\/p>\n
Haaziq was the fifth person linked to the case to be convicted in court. He will be sentenced on April 22.<\/p>\n
Three other former Certis officers \u2013 Muhammad Khairul Amir Suhaimi, then 25; Sri Daniah Abdul Razak, then 26,\u00a0and Mohamad Aziffi Selamat, then 32, were dealt with in court earlier<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n In February, Muhammad Sukaimi Gasali, then 34, a crane operator at the time of the offences, was sentenced to four years and seven months\u2019 jail,<\/span><\/a> and a fine of $5,000.<\/p>\n Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamed Riasudeen told the court that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) had earlier contracted Certis to supply security officers to Jurong Port and Tuas Checkpoint.<\/p>\n The officers\u2019 tasks included taking enforcement action against people attempting to smuggle contraband items into Singapore.<\/p>\n They also had to conduct thorough checks on individuals and vehicles passing through the port and checkpoint.<\/p>\n Haaziq, who was working at Jurong Port, was conducting routine checks in late 2020 when he got to know Sukaimi, and the pair became friends.<\/p>\n Around early 2021, Haaziq sent his motorcycle for repairs and Sukaimi, who was then working for a company called GL Crane, helped him pay the bill.<\/p>\n Following this, Haaziq started borrowing money from him on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n Around July 2022, Sukaimi approached Haaziq to tell him that he intended to deal with contraband cigarettes. He told Haaziq to \u201cclose one eye\u201d whenever he passed through Haaziq\u2019s lane.<\/p>\n According to court documents, Haaziq later allowed Sukaimi to pass through his lane without conducting proper searches on his vehicle. <\/p>\n The DPP said: \u201cAfter the first successful smuggling operation where the accused facilitated Sukaimi\u2019s exit from the port with contraband cigarettes… Sukaimi rewarded the accused by transferring between $50 and $100 via PayNow.\u201d <\/p>\n Using a messaging platform, Sukaimi also shared the PayNow transfer confirmation page with Haaziq, with an accompanying text stating: \u201cThanks for the help, duit Kopi (\u201ccoffee money\u201d in Malay).\u201d<\/p>\n Between Aug 10 and Nov 25, 2022, Haaziq received bribes totalling $1,572 from Sukaimi over 26 separate occasions. <\/p>\n The court heard that an integral component of the corrupt arrangement involved Haaziq providing Sukaimi with confidential information about his deployment schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever Sukaimi approached the accused\u2019s lane, the latter would conduct a superficial check on Sukaimi\u2019s vehicle, allowing Sukaimi to pass through,\u201d said DPP Riasudeen.<\/p>\n The offences came to light when Sukaimi\u2019s Malaysian driver, identified as Mohd Hafiz Kamarulzaman, drove a car from his home country to Singapore at around 4.30am on April 19, 2024.<\/p>\n ICA officers stopped the vehicle at the Tuas Checkpoint for an inspection and uncovered 22 cartons as well as 470 packets of contraband cigarettes.<\/p>\n Investigations later revealed that Hafiz had been communicating with Daniah through WhatsApp on a few earlier occasions when he was entering Singapore with contraband cigarettes.<\/p>\n These conversations helped him determine \u201csafer times\u201d to enter Singapore.<\/p>\n Without revealing details, the DPP said that Haaziq was later arrested on July 15 that year.<\/p>\n The four former Certis officers and Sukaimi were charged in court in 2025<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Court documents did not disclose if Hafiz has been charged or dealt with in court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n