Dealing with COVID-19 offences: More than 1,000 cases prosecuted in court in 18 months

As the kinds of COVID-19 related-offences proceed to evolve with amendments to the COVID-19 laws and introduction of latest authorities reduction and assist schemes, the deputy public prosecutors have needed to adapt shortly to take agency and swift motion towards errant people and enterprises, mentioned Mr Lim Jian Yi. However, COVID-19 offences are dealt with by a number of enforcement businesses and it’s probably the most “egregious or complex cases” which can be dealt with instantly by the AGC, he mentioned. Prosecution in court is “only one of the many options to deal with offenders”, he mentioned. “Most people who commit minor COVID-19 offences such as failure to wear a mask in public are given advisories, warnings, or offered composition which refers to a settlement between a complainant and the accused. Only in the more serious cases are offenders prosecuted in court,” he mentioned.

DECIDING THE APPROPRIATE COURSE OF ACTION

In deciding the suitable plan of action in addition to the suitable sentence to ask for in prosecution cases, all kinds of things are taken under consideration, Mr Nicholas Lim mentioned. For instance, the seriousness of the offence, whether or not fraud was perpetrated towards public establishments and concerned public funds, the style in which the offence was dedicated, the impression of the offending conduct and whether or not the offender was recalcitrant are taken under consideration, he mentioned. “Prosecution of COVID-19-related offences is necessary as we need to send a strong message that public health measures must be taken seriously to control transmission of the virus in the community, and that abuse of the support schemes will not be tolerated,” he mentioned. Among the high-profile cases that the groups have dealt with are these of Phoon Chiu Yoke and (*18*) Glynn. When requested how they deal with cases which have excessive public or media curiosity, Mr Nicholas Lim mentioned: “All cases are treated equally, regardless of public or media attention.” Overall, the journey has been difficult as many COVID-19 associated offences had been new and novel, he added.There was additionally urgency for the AGC and enforcement businesses to deal with offenders swiftly, and guarantee Singapore's public well being was safeguarded, he mentioned. “The experience gained by our prosecutors has been fulfilling as they played a key role in Singapore’s fight against COVID-19,” he mentioned. “These are trying times and we appreciate that the various COVID-19 regulations may be restrictive. However, we all need to play our part to ensure Singapore emerges stronger from this pandemic.”

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