SINGAPORE, July 26 — While conducting separate interviews with two women found with vaporisers in their possession, an investigation officer contracted by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) molested the pair while he was recording their statements.
Today, Zaini Ibrahim, 55, was sentenced to 28 months and 10 weeks in jail.
Zaini pleaded guilty to four charges: One count of uttering words that insult another’s modesty, two counts of using criminal force with intent to outrage a person’s modesty, and one count of corruptly seeking gratification in exchange for showing favour to a person.
Another nine charges were taken into consideration in sentencing.
The victims cannot be named due to a court gag order protecting their identities.
Zaini will begin serving his sentence on August 23.
Worked as investigation officer
At the time of the offences, Zaini was employed as an investigation officer at WSH Experts, an integrated services consultancy.
The company was contracted by HSA’s tobacco regulation branch to carry out enforcement operations and investigations into the purchase, use, and possession of prohibited tobacco-related products, such as electronic vaporisers.
Vaporisers — known colloquially as “vapes” — are battery-operated devices which heat a solution to produce a nicotine containing vapour, that is then inhaled by its user.
It is an offence to buy, use, or possess a vaporiser in Singapore.
To carry out the operations, WSH Experts hired investigation officers and enforcement officers.
If an enforcement officer saw a person using a vaporiser in public, they would approach the user, record their details, seize the vaporiser, and refer the matter to an investigation officer.
The investigation officer, when assigned a file, is then tasked to compile the documents, review relevant evidence, interview the person, and record his or her statements.
Once done, the investigation officer would prepare an investigation report and submit this to the HSA.
The investigation officer also recommends one of the following:
1. That the individual be given a written or verbal warning;
2. That the individual be issued a Notice of Composition; or
3. That the individual be prosecuted
Molested two women he was investigating
On January 6, 2022, enforcement officers detained a woman after a vaporiser and vaporiser pods were found in her possession.
Four statements were later taken from the 41-year-old woman, of which Zaini took three.
For one, the woman went WSH Experts’ office on March 29, 2022 to be interviewed in a conference room by Zaini who initially sat across the table from the woman while he was recording her statement.
At some point, he instructed her to sit closer to him so he could show her some photographs and she agreed to do so.
As he continued to ask her questions, Zaini began touching the woman’s thigh.
Though she protested, he ignored her protests and told her instead to concentrate on his questions.
He also slid his hand up her leg and touched her groin over her clothes.
The woman was extremely scared and froze momentarily when Zaini did so, before eventually pushing his hand away, court documents stated.
He continued to touch her thigh for several minutes.
Court documents stated that she did not believe she could leave the interview room until the statement recording was completed.
In his statement to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Zaini admitted that he was emboldened to touch the woman’s groin as he was the investigation officer assigned to her case, and knew that she believed he had the power to make a lenient recommendation.
In a separate incident on July 3, 2022, officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority stopped a 44-year-old woman at Woodlands checkpoint, after two vaporisers were found in her possession.
Her case was referred to the HSA and assigned to Zaini, who called this woman to schedule an interview to record her statement.
He also began messaging the woman over WhatsApp, and made lewd sexual advances.
On July 4, Zaini sent the woman WhatsApp messages asking intimate questions about her breasts. He also asked that she take a picture of them, and to show this picture to him.
Court documents state that the woman felt “very uncomfortable” about Zaini’s questions and request, and declined to send him the photo.
Undeterred, Zaini continued to ask more questions of a sexually explicit nature, and made more requests for intimate photographs.
A few days later, on the morning of July 6, 2022, the woman went to WSH Experts’ office to be interviewed by Zaini and to have her statement recorded.
Zaini and the woman were alone in a conference room at the office.
Zaini “repeatedly made lewd and inappropriate sexual comments” throughout the interview, which lasted around two hours.
As the session was about to conclude, the woman stood up to leave. Zaini held out his right hand and she shook it.
When she released his hand, Zaini reached forward and squeezed her left breast.
The woman was shocked and slapped away his hand.
In a bid to move the conversation back to her case, the woman then asked Zaini how her case would progress.
She told him that she did not have money and was concerned about facing a high fine or a custodial term.
Zaini told her that he would prepare his recommendation for submission with the investigation report, and that he could recommend a Notice of Composition if she “helped” him.
When the woman asked what he meant by that proposition, Zaini said that he wanted to have sex with her.
She did not respond to his request.
Eventually, Zaini recommended a Notice of Composition in his report to the HSA.
For uttering words that insult another’s modesty, Zaini could have been jailed for up to a year, fined, or both.
For using criminal force with intent to outrage a person’s modesty, Zaini could have been jailed for up to three years, fined, caned, or be dealt any combination of such punishments.
For corruptly attempting to obtain gratification in exchange for showing favour to a person’s affairs, Zaini could have been jailed for up to five years, fined up to S$100,000, or both. — TODAY