Chinese man cheated to take test on behalf of another person
The court heard that Goh had the impression that foreign vehicles would be banned in Singapore in July.
Goh, who worked at a construction company, was using his Malaysia-registered motorcycle. He decided to buy a Singapore motorcycle and convert his Malaysian licence to a Singapore licence as he was going to work here for the long term.
Goh needed to take the basic theory test, but he was not confident of passing it.
Goh chose to engage an unidentified agent through his colleague to help with the conversion of the driving licence. In return, he would pay S $500.
On Jun 28th this year, Goh met and paid the agent S $500 outside SSDC. Goh was informed that someone would take the test on his behalf and was asked to hand over his work permit. He left to wait at a coffee shop.
A 28-year-old Chinese national, Zhang had been hired after he responded to a WeChat advertisement to take the test on behalf of another person for S $200.
He met the agent outside SSDC and was instructed to take the test on Goh's behalf. After his completion, Zhang was supposed to meet the agent outside SSDC to receive his payment.
On Jun 28, Zhang entered the holding room at around 9 am to wait for his turn for the test. The tester called out Goh's name and Zhang replied before presenting Goh's work permit as his own.
The tester asked Zhang to take off his mask and noticed that he looked different from the photo on the permit. On request, Zhang was unable to state Goh's FIN number.
The tester requested other documents for identification. After that, Zhang left the room and returned with Goh. The police were called in later.
Had Zhang been successful in the deception, the tester allowing Zhang to take the basic theory test on Goh's behalf would have been likely to cause harm to the reputation of the tester, said the prosecution.
Goh's lawyer Lim Kim Song argued for a month in jail for his client, arguing that his culpability was lower than Zhang's.
According to the lawyer, Zhang was playing the active role while Goh was passive for cheating by personation. According to the lawyer, Zhang could have been jailed for up to five years, or fined, or both.