Cheating the Singapore government and hoping to get away with it is a bit like eating just one potato chip and trying to stop there; you can try your best to do so, but you’re probably going to fail.
Despite this, many residents continue to attempt to deceive the authorities in the hopes of leaving their house while on a stay-home notice (SHN).
Or in this instance, to avoid serving an SHN at a hotel.
Man Charged in Court For Making False Declaration to Opt Out of a SHN at Dedicated Facilities
A 58-year-old Singaporean will be charged in court today for making false declarations in his application to opt out of serving an SHN at dedicated facilities.
In a physical declaration form at Changi Airport last November, Vijeyakumar Z Joseph allegedly declared that he had not travelled to any other country or region apart from those on the approved list, 14 consecutive days prior to his arrival in Singapore.
But the authorities later discovered that he had returned from Jakarta, Indonesia, which is not part of the list.
As you know, travellers from selected countries can opt to serve their SHN at a place of residence instead, subject to criteria.
The only problem for Vijeyakumar is that Indonesia isn’t one of the selected countries.
But that wasn’t Vijeyakumar’s only offence.
According to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), he also allegedly declared that he would be occupying his place of residence alone or with household members with the same travel history as him.
But when the authorities conducted checks at Vijeyakumar’s place of residence during his SHN, they found he was allegedly staying there with two other household members who did not share his travel history.
8 Travellers Investigated Last Year For Making False Declarations in SHN Arrangements
Just last November, the police said they were investigating eight people for making false declarations in SHN arrangements when returning to Singapore.
Four of them are Singaporeans, two are permanent residents and the remaining two are long-term pass holders.
The eight travellers had arrived in Singapore from South Korea and Thailand from 5 Nov to 8 Nov 2020.
Prior to their arrival in Singapore, all eight travellers opted out of serving their SHN at dedicated facilities and indicated that they fulfilled all the necessary criteria to do so.
But, of course, this wasn’t the truth, and the authorities eventually uncovered their lies.
Anyone found guilty of knowingly providing false or misleading information when required to do so under the Infectious Diseases Act can be fined up to $10,000 and jailed for not more than six months.
Yes, the Singapore government doesn’t mess around, especially when it comes to COVID-19.
Featured Image: New Africa / Shutterstock.com
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