News...Senior immigration officer charged

A SENIOR immigration officer was charged in district court yesterday for accepting about $140,000 in bribes.
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Mr Dong xxxxxx , a deputy superintendent of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority is accused of accepting bribes ranging between $5,000 and $48,000 on12 occasions.
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The court heard that at the time of the alleged offences, the 54-year-old oversaw a unit that grants social visit passes to foreigners. In return for the bribes he took from one Mr Edmund xxxxxx , believed to be a syndicate member, Mr Dong allegedly extended the social visit passes of Chinese and Vietnamese nationals who otherwise might not have been eligible for such extensions. Mr Dong is believed to have either granted the extensions himself or directed his staff to do so. He has been suspended from duty.
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If convicted, Mr Dong faces a fine not exceeding $100,000 and/or imprisonment up to five years for each charge.