Singapore sentences Indian man for bribing airport staff

A Singapore court on Monday sentenced an Indian national to eight weeks in jail for bribing a Changi Airport check-in worker so that the latter would under-report the weight of travellers' bags on Tigerair flights.

Gopal Krishna Raju, who was a manager in a food-processing firm, ran a side business in which gold was transported from Singapore to Chennai before the valuables were sold in India, The Straits Times reported.

Raju had asked airport check-in worker Patel Hiteshkumar Chandubhai to under-report the weight of bags belonging to passengers who were transporting the gold on Gopal's behalf.

Patel was then rewarded for his help.

In sentencing Gopal, District Judge John Ng noted that the offence had taken place over 10 months and stressed that it is important to protect Changi Airport's reputation.

Gopal pleaded guilty last week to a corruption charge. He had committed the offence on at least 10 occasions between January and October 2016.IANS