Chan Meng Kam (left) during the electoral campaign
Two staff members from lawmaker Chan Meng Kam’s 2013 campaign team have been found guilty of bribery and sentenced to around one year in jail.
A Court of First Instance (TJB) judge announced that the two staff members offered restaurant meals and transportation to voters during the Legislative Assembly elections.
Chan Meng Kam reigned victorious in the 2013 AL elections, securing not only his seat but also those of Si Ka Lon and Song Pek Kei.
The Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) raised suspicions over election corruption after a CCAC officer received a campaign phone call from a 67 year-old housewife. She had been instructed by a 64 year-old clerk of the lawmaker’s association to call members and ask them to bribe their families to vote for Chan Meng Kam’s bid. In return they would be given free transportation to the voting venue and meals at an upscale Chinese restaurant.
Ten witnesses confirmed these accounts before the court. The clerk’s lawyer told the court that the lawmaker’s association contacted over 2,000 members throughout the election campaign.
One defendant was sentenced to one year and six months in jail, while the other faces a sentence of one year and three months.
According to TDM, the judge said they had not spent a huge amount of money on the free meals, but reiterated that this was still a bribery case.
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