An NUS law professor is being investigated by the CPIB for receiving sex in exchange for giving better grades to an undergrad. It is believed that this is the first such case in Singapore.
A New Paper report (July 24) mentioned that the professor who teaches at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law was arrested in April and is now out on bail. He could not be contacted, despite a visit to his home. A woman, believed to be his wife, declined to comment.
The student implicated in the investigation was not arrested, but her statements were taken. Mr Singh explained that normally, the recipient of benefits is investigated first. He explained: “The prosecution has to first prove that the recipient received the gift with a corrupt intent.”
Mr Chen Chee Yen, partner at Tan Rajah & Cheah, said: “If the time between the benefit given and the corresponding benefit received is short enough, it points more easily towards corruption.”
Also important is the explanation of witnesses. If a relationship exists between the two parties prior to the exchange of benefits, corruption may not be as readily inferred, he added.
TNP stated that it contacted NUS and the law faculty yesterday to ask if they were aware that the professor, and several others from the faculty, are assisting investigations being carried out by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).
TNP also stated that it provided NUS and the law faculty with details of what he is alleged to have done. An NUS spokesman was said to have replied in an e-mail: “We know that there is an ongoing investigation regarding an NUS staff member. We continue to cooperate fully with the authorities. As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide further comments at this time.”
As a matter of practice, CPIB does not comment on cases it is investigating. So how did it all start? The allegations revolve around a fourth-year female student who has since graduated. The 23-year-old law student took the elective course last year and allegedly approached the professor to get a better grade.
A fourth-year student from NUS law school, who declined to be named, said grades are “very important” when it comes to landing a job, especially if one is aiming for a place in the
“top four” local firms. “In general, you’ve got to get a degree with at least a second upper honours conferred on it before you will get accepted,” said the student who has not found a job yet.
TNP understands that in order to ace her paper, the student implicated in the probe allegedly struck a deal with her professor to have sex with him. But it was not a one-off incident.
She is said to have had sex with him on multiple occasions.
Mr Singh said that every occasion they had sex could count as one charge against the professor – even if the student receives only one A grade. “In this case, the prosecution will take into consideration that one act of benefit to the giver was received in deciding how many charges to proceed with,” headed.
The student, described as lively and ambitious, confided in some friends about the alleged incident and thought the matter had gone away. She is now a pupil with a law firm here. TNP tracked her down, but the managing director of the firm declined our request to interview her.
Subsequent calls to her mobile phone went unanswered. While her Facebook account was active earlier in the day, it had been removed last night (July 24). Staff members described the professor as a charismatic teacher who graduated from a top overseas university before he became a practising lawyer with a top law firm for several years.
He switched to teaching in the 1990s. Things went awry for him in April when the authorities summoned him and several staff members to assist in the investigation. The others are not implicated.
The professor was the only one placed under arrest and a colleague subsequently bailed him out. When TNP contacted the bailer, he declined to comment. There are practical measures that professors can employ to stay out of controversy, said Associate Professor Tan Wee Liang, who teaches strategic management at the Singapore Management University.
“The rule of thumb is that when you’re instructing students, try to keep it in a group and do it in a public place. If it’s a one-on-one with someone of the opposite sex in an enclosed space like an office, always keep your door open,” he said.
classmates baotoh?
fellow profs baotoh?
maybe they trying practical
welcome to the real world?
I am very conflicted.
I would wish TNP on her.
But I also wish TNP never gets what it wants.
WOW...teachers seemed to be involved in alot of sex case recently..
CPIB kept quite busy this year hor?
All these sex for favours cases means that the number of tipoffs have gone up.
Why is this a corruption case?
At most this should be settled between the professor and the university.
Ethical case rather than corruption.
not medical case? just somewhere itchy?
Originally posted by TehJarVu:not medical case? just somewhere itchy?
Law professor can argue that.
Originally posted by sbst275:Cos she got her degree cert le??
you think corruption case or just matter between uni and professor ?
Originally posted by charlize:you think corruption case or just matter between uni and professor ?
let's not bother abt wat e law means abt graft...
If she's still studying for her degree, chances are she would be expelled...
but if she really has gotten her cert... now how???
degrees can be revoked
revoke is one thing...
but uni has a committee supposedly to audit the results...
huh huh huh... lots of ppl will kena teruk teruk
due to dishonourable conduct
audit your lj
that's why need to investigate liao...
cos how prof know her script etc... ya...
Originally posted by sbst275:that's why need to investigate liao...
cos how prof know her script etc... ya...
Write name big big.
And put a winky smiley.
check his wallet see got write down her index number or not
Originally posted by charlize:Write name big big.
And put a winky smiley.
not supposed to write name wo...
if it's found out.... ....
Originally posted by sbst275:
not supposed to write name wo...if it's found out.... ....
Why not supposed to write name ?
Originally posted by charlize:Why not supposed to write name ?
Smacks charlize...
isn't it e obvious alrdy... arbo, lecturer know obviously who's script this is alrdy...