S'porean who cleared checkpoints using Philippine passport jailed

He did so to circumvent curbs imposed on him as an undischarged bankrupt

- Shaffiq Alkhatib

On 46 occasions between 2011 and 2012, a Singaporean man presented a Philippine passport obtained via "dubious" channels to immigration officers when going through checkpoints in Singapore.

The prosecution said Goh Chin Soon continued to rely on the "misleading passport" despite having a valid Singapore passport.

While the Philippine passport bore a photograph of Goh's face, the name was purportedly that of a Filipino citizen known as "Boris Jacinto Ngo", the court heard.

The prosecution added: "The accused's actions were highly premeditated, as he took steps to obtain the misleading passport passport through dubious channels so that he could circumvent the requirements imposed on him by the IPTO (Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office), given his status as an undischarged bankrupt.

"To cover up his crimes, the accused committed fraud on the authorities when his lawyers - acting on the accused's instructions - issued a letter to IPTO informing (the office) that the accused was stuck in China without a valid passport." The court heard that Goh was in Singapore when the letter was issued.