Wuhan Couple Who Lied to MOH Finally Gave Up & Will Start Their Jail Sentence

By
Chloe Tan
-
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It takes serious guts to keep on appealing your case—even when it meant you won’t be able to fly back home for two years.

The Wuhan couple who lied to the Ministry of Health (MOH) has finally given up and will serve their jail sentence. Here’s what happened.

Withheld Information From Contact Tracers

Chinese national Hu Jun arrived in Singapore from Wuhan in January 2020 to spend the Lunar New Year with his family. His wife Shi Sha was already in Singapore on a long-term visit pass, to accompany her daughter studying at a Singapore international school.

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Hu tested positive for COVID-19 nine days after arriving. When questioned by contact tracers, he failed to mention the full list of locations he had visited.

Shi, who fed more false information to the contact tracers while her husband was recovering in the hospital, was convicted of more charges.

Last October, Hu and Shi were found guilty of their charges.

Hu was convicted of one charge for deliberately withholding information from contact tracers about his whereabouts. Meanwhile, Shi had four charges for withholding information, giving false information, and failing to fully and truthfully respond to a health officer.

Blatant Lies or Genuine Miscommunication?

Shi had testified that speaking to the contact tracer was extremely difficult as there was allegedly a language barrier. The withholding of information and giving of false information was thus claimed to be a result of miscommunication.

Well, a chicken and a duck sure can’t understand each other, but two people speaking Mandarin… Quite unlike chickens and ducks, right?

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Both of them hired three different teams of lawyers throughout these two years. They appealed to different judges to let them head home to China.

A district court judge first approved their application in October 2020. However, the prosecutor contested it and had the decision reversed in the High Court.

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The couple then expressed intention to appeal in the High Court when they were sentenced to jail last November. However, records from a post-sentence hearing at the State Courts on Tuesday (11 January) showed that their appeals will be discontinued.

Hu and Shi were offered bail of $30,000 and $10,000 respectively till they surrender at the State Courts to serve their sentence. Hu will begin his five-month jail term on 17 January, and Shi will begin her six-month term on 17 May.

Why Give Up Now?

They’ve been fighting this case for two years, so it initially seemed like they would proceed with their appeals.

CNA reported that the couple made the decision last week to stop their appeals, as the entire two-year process has taken a mental and financial toll on them. An elderly relative has also fallen ill, so they wish to fly back to be with family as soon as possible.

Moral of the story? Saying that talking to someone was like “a chicken talking to a duck” wouldn’t work to get you out of jail. Abide by the law next time and everyone will be fine.

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If found guilty under the Infectious Diseases Act, you could face up to six months’ jail, a maximum fine of $10,000, or both, for each charge.

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Featured Image: YouTube (CNA)

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Chloe Tan
Email: [email protected]