MFA sacks director-general who was jailed for lying over use of diplomatic bags

A director-general at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) who was jailed for lying about his use of the diplomatic bag service has been fired.

Gilbert Oh Hin Kwan, 46, was dismissed from MFA’s headquarters on March 27, according to details published on a government gazette that day.

In response to The Straits Times’ queries, MFA said Oh was dismissed following the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings.

Oh began serving his one-week jail term on Feb 10, after the High Court dismissed his appeal against his sentence, which was handed down by a district judge in May 2024.

District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz had said then that a fine – requested by both the prosecution and defence – was inappropriate due to the serious potential consequences for the integrity of the public service and the MFA domestically. She said this justified a jail sentence.

On Feb 10, High Court Judge Dedar Singh Gill dismissed Oh’s appeal, saying that the district judge had correctly analysed the facts and the relevant case law.

Justice Gill added that the district judge was not wrong in finding that Oh’s culpability was high, and that a custodial term was justified.

He noted that Oh’s “self-serving” motive for lying was to reduce any impact on his career progression.

Diplomatic bags are used to send official correspondence and items to and from the ministry and its overseas offices, such as embassies and consulates. They are protected by diplomatic immunity and cannot be opened or seized by Customs officials.

Oh had sought to use the diplomatic bag service to deliver a package containing luxury watches from China to Singapore for a friend. The friend, identified in court documents as Ms Jiang Si, was not a diplomat.

On Jan 12, 2023, Oh contacted his colleague, Mr Dion Loke Cheng Wang, who was then attached to the Singapore Embassy in Beijing.

He lied to Mr Loke, claiming that the parents of his Chinese diplomat friend wanted to have “something in a package” delivered to Oh in Singapore.

Oh asked Mr Loke to help send it from Beijing to Singapore via the diplomatic bag service, and Mr Loke agreed to the request.

The package contained 21 luxury watches, a ring and seven children’s books, all belonging to Ms Jiang and her partner.

It was found by immigration officers after Mr Loke was stopped for a bag screening.

When Oh was asked for an explanation, he lied to Mr Ong Eng Chuan, then MFA deputy secretary (management), that the watches belonged to his father. Oh believed the ministry’s response would be more lenient if he gave this account. He spoke to his father about the incident before e-mailing the false information to Mr Ong.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau also started an investigation into the case on Jan 19, 2023.

Oh initially stuck to his lies in his first statement, but recanted in his second statement to the bureau the following day.

In April 2024, Oh pleaded guilty to a charge of giving false information to a public servant. Two other cheating charges were taken into consideration.

During the appeal, the prosecution sought to uphold the one-week jail term.

Oh’s lawyer, Senior Counsel Tan Chee Meng, said there was an agreement that the prosecution would ask for a fine if his client pleaded guilty and questioned why the prosecution changed its stance for the appeal.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei countered that the prosecution is not precluded from defending a court decision that is “legally sound and reasonably defensible”.

Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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