Charge against ex-enforcement officer accused of seeking bribes from vape dealer withdrawn
A former enforcement supervisor accused of seeking $8,000 in bribes from a vape dealer had his charge withdrawn, resulting in an acquittal.Summary
Michael Anthony Pillay, 35, a former chief enforcement supervisor at WSH Experts, which conducted enforcement duties for the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), was accused of attempting to obtain $8,000 in bribes from Chua Wee Ming, 35, in 2024. The alleged bribe was in exchange for exclusive information about HSA raids on vape products. On October 26, the prosecution applied to withdraw the charge after careful consideration, and the court granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal, meaning Pillay cannot be charged again for the same offense. Pillay maintained his innocence and expressed relief. Separately, Chua, a Malaysian, was convicted on October 13 of vape-related charges for arranging the import of over $6.6 million worth of vaporisers and pods from Malaysia to Singapore, with sentencing set for December.
(Source：The Straits Times)
