From Bloomberg – Singapore is planning to tighten rules for public servants visiting the city’s two casinos after a handful of corruption charges against government officials in the past year.
Civil servants who go to the gaming halls “frequently” or those who buy annual passes will be required to declare such visits, Teo Chee Hean, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, said in Parliament yesterday. The city has a S$100 ($79) daily levy or S$2,000 annual tax for citizens and permanent residents entering the casinos.
Plans for the casino rules come after a number of corruption charges against senior government officials in the past year. The head of the city’s anti-corruption agency was replaced last week after an assistant director was charged with misappropriation. In June, Peter Lim, former civil defense chief, was sentenced to six months in jail for trying to help a contractor win business in exchange for sex.
“It is certainly a reaction to the recent events,” Eugene Tan, an associate law professor at Singapore Management University who’s a nominated member of Parliament, said in an interview yesterday. “I don’t think there is any foolproof safeguard but certainly this measure a signaling effect. It recognizes that officers can be compromised.”
