SINGAPORE: A man from China, intent on getting a job in Singapore, was told by an unknown individual that he could stay here on a special pass if he committed a crime, and earn money by selling sex enhancement medication.
Xu Zhishen, 37, put the advice into action by trying to bribe two police officers and later, after he was charged, obtained a bailor who was a stranger to him via a person in China.
He then stayed in Singapore on a special pass and sold sex enhancement medication in Geylang for cash.
Xu was arrested, along with four other Chinese nationals for similar offences in the first half of 2025. On Friday (Aug 29), Xu was sentenced to 11 weeks’ jail.
He pleaded guilty to one count of offering a bribe to the police, with a second similar charge taken into consideration.
The court heard that Xu came to Singapore in late March this year for two job interviews, but failed to secure employment.
After that, he lost about S$10,000 (US$7,790) from gambling at the Marina Bay Sands casino.
In April, he took a short trip to Malaysia and re-entered Singapore so he could renew the duration of his social visit pass, intending to find a job and to gamble and recoup his losses.
While back in the country, Xu bumped into an individual identified only as A1 in court papers.
A1 told him that he could sell sex enhancement medication illegally in Singapore to earn money.
He also told Xu that he could commit crimes to obtain a special pass while investigations against him were ongoing.
This way, Xu could remain in Singapore and continue to sell the medication to earn money on the special pass, A1 had told him.
On Apr 26, Xu drank beer in an alley between two shops along Pagoda Street.
A man called the police over Xu’s behaviour, saying he had spotted a suspicious person hiding in between some shops.
The police arrived at about 1am on Apr 27 and approached Xu as he matched the description given by the witness.
The officers asked Xu for his passport, but he refused, even though they could see it in his bag.
Xu took out S$119 in cash and tried to place the bills in one of the officer’s hands. He pleaded in Mandarin, asking the officer to help him or to let him off.
The officer pushed the money away and warned him to keep it. Xu forcefully tried to put the money in the officer’s pocket.
He continued trying to pass the bribes to the officer before turning to a second officer, who also refused the bribe.
Back-up police officers arrived and the cash fell to the floor.
Court documents stated that Xu knew that by offering the officers money, he was committing corruption offences, which would allow him to receive a special pass while under investigation and extend his stay in Singapore.
He was arrested by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and offered a phone call to look for a Singaporean bailor.
Xu contacted a person in China, asking for help to find a Singaporean bailor.
Arrangements were made and a Singaporean man, who was a stranger to Xu, was asked to stand as Xu’s bailor. This person then stood bail for Xu.
Xu was released on bail and issued a special pass. The bailor was paid S$100 to cover his transportation costs to CPIB. A sum of S$500 was paid to another unnamed person who helped Xu obtain bail.
While Xu was in Singapore, he sold sexual enhancement medication on some days in Geylang. He obtained the drugs from two Chinese man and an Indian man.
He sold the medication at Geylang for higher prices and collected payments in cash. He earned about S$70 to S$80 for each batch he sold.
Xu was arrested by CPIB in July and has been remanded since.
Between January and June this year, four other Chinese nationals were arrested by CPIB for corruption offences. They were also investigated for selling the sex medication illegally.
Two of these foreigners had intentionally entered Singapore in order to sell the sex enhancement medication illegally.
The prosecution sought 10 to 12 weeks’ jail for Xu, stating that Singapore “adopts an uncompromising stance against all corruption offenders”.
Attempts to bribe police officers, in particular, must be treated with “absolute abhorrence”, said the prosecutor.
Xu was persistent in trying to bribe the police officers, and was brazen in shifting his attention to a second officer in an attempt to bribe him, said the prosecutor.
Xu also exploited Singapore’s immigration control and criminal justice systems, as he knew that he would be arrested and issued a special pass by offering the bribe.
The prosecution asked the court to infer that a syndicate was involved in this case, as other foreigners were investigated similarly, and the bailor for Xu was given money to bail him out.
