ICA officer jailed for helping hubby commit graft
By Elena Chong
A FORMER Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer was jailed for three months on Monday for helping her husband commit corruption by endorsing a Thai woman's passport to extend her stay here.
Kavitha Manikam Kalavanan, 27, was an ICA specialist attached to Woodlands checkpoint when she intentionally aided her husband, Mr Thanaraj Retinam, by granting a 14-day stay for Thai national Vanida Yamyen on Oct 7, 2002. In return her husband received a $30 bribe from Vanida's boyfriend, Mr Salva Kumar.
A district court heard that while working at Orchard Towers, Mr Retinam frequented the then Top Ten Disco at the Orchard Road building, and got to know Mr Kumar, a bouncer.
When Mr Kumar failed to get his girlfriend's stay extended at the ICA headquarters, he told Mr Retinam who said he had a friend working at the Woodlands checkpoint, and that he could help the foreigner make a "U-turn'' trip by taking her to Johor Baru and then back to Singapore in return for petrol money for his car. Mr Kumar agreed.
On Oct 7, 2002 before Mr Retinam took Vanida to Johor Baru and made a "U-turn'' trip back, he called his wife to check which booth she was stationed at.
He then drove his car to her booth for immigration clearance. Vanida's passport was endorsed with the two-week extension.
A few days later, Mr Kumar handed $30 to Mr Retinam at the Top Ten Disco.
A second charge was taken into consideration.
Kaviatha's lawyer Rakesh Vasu said his client, a mother of three, committed the offence out of sheer foolishness and out of respect for her husband.
She could have been fined up to $100,000 or jailed for up to five years or both for the offence.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_193656.html 
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