Singaporean Immigration Officer Jailed for Corruption

Singapore, Sep 11 (PTI) – A Singaporean immigration officer of Indian origin has been sentenced to 22 months in prison after being found guilty of accepting sexual favors in exchange for assisting individuals with obtaining visit passes, according to a media report.

The officer, Kannan Morice Rajagopal Jayaram, who served as an inspector with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), admitted to guilty pleas on three counts of corruptly receiving sexual acts to facilitate short-term visit pass applications.

An additional three similar charges were considered during the sentencing of the 55-year-old Kannan, Channel News Asia reported.

Court documents detailed incidents with individuals in 2022 and 2023, involving Indian nationals aged between 25 and 30 who had traveled to Singapore for educational purposes.

Though there were established guidelines for extending short-term visit passes, Kannan's team would seek his advice in challenging cases. He had the authority to approve or reject applications, as the report stated.

The prosecution described the case as “appalling.” “Instead of serving as a protector of our borders and an impartial representative of Singapore, the accused took advantage of these young foreigners,” the channel quoted the prosecutors.

Kannan's sentence is set to commence on September 18.