SINGAPORE: A traffic police officer allegedly accessed Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) computer systems without authorisation and got information on a police report made against his friend.
The officer, Shivasuria Maniam Kesaval, stands accused of giving the information to his friend, Brayden Ong Ying Shan, who then allegedly used it to threaten his ex-girlfriend with death.
Both men went on trial on Monday (Nov 18) for breaching the Official Secrets Act (OSA), among other charges.
Shivasuria, 27, is contesting one charge under the OSA and four charges under the Computer Misuse Act.
He is accused of making unauthorised searches on MHA computer systems between Jul 14 and Jul 26, 2022 to access data in relation to a report that was made against Ong for allegedly driving without a valid licence.
Shivasuria allegedly obtained information about the “incident creation time” for the police report against Ong, and then gave this information to Ong between Jul 14 and Jul 15, 2022.
Ong, 23, is contesting two charges – one under the OSA of receiving the information from Shivasuria, and one of criminal intimidation against a woman identified in court as his ex-girlfriend between Jul 15 and Jul 17, 2022.
According to the prosecution, officers are only authorised to access the MHA computer systems to perform official duties in support of their agency’s functions or operations, and after receiving the necessary approval.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin told the court that Ong was caught driving without a valid licence on Jul 12, 2022, after a report made by his ex-girlfriend.
That night, Ong informed Shivasuria that he had been caught, and asked Shivasuria to find out who had informed the police, the prosecutor said.
Shivasuria allegedly performed the unauthorised computer searches and found the police report against Ong and a briefing note. These indicated an “incident creation time” of 9.19pm.
Mr Bin said Shivasuria gave this timing to Ong.
According to the prosecution, Ong told his ex-girlfriend that he used this timing to find out who had reported him, as only three people including her knew that he was driving at the time.
Combined with a threat that Ong allegedly made that day that he would “murder whoever lodged the report against him”, this caused the woman to fear for her and her child’s safety, the prosecution said.
At the start of the trial, Mr Bin applied for parts of the hearing concerning the MHA computer systems to be held in private on the grounds that it is expedient in the national interest or national security of Singapore to do so.
District Judge Lim Tse Haw placed a gag order over the evidence in relation to the Singapore Police Force’s screening capabilities.
If convicted of breaching the OSA, Shivasuria and Ong each face a jail term of up to two years and a fine of up to S$2,000.
The punishment for illegally accessing data held in a computer system is a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to S$5,000 or both for a first-time offender.
If convicted of criminal intimidation, Ong faces up to 10 years in jail, a fine or both.
The trial continues.
