Senior IO tells woman to transfer him $4,000 as it's 'police procedure', spends it in 2 days
Nadine Chua
The Straits Times
April 14, 2025
When a woman told a police officer that her former boyfriend was pressing her to transfer money to him, the officer asked her to send him the money instead.
Chan Zhiyao, 44, who was a senior investigation officer at the time, said it was "police procedure" and that he would send the $4,000 she transferred to him, to her former boyfriend directly.
Instead, Chan kept it for himself and spent almost all of it in two days.
On April 14, Chan was sentenced to 16 months' jail after pleading guilty to criminal breach of trust and a charge under the Official Secrets Act for misusing his workplace computer system.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Cheah Wenjie said Chan was an inspector and a senior investigation officer (IO) in the Singapore Police Force (SPF) at the time of his offences.
In 2022, a woman, who was not named in court, filed a police report that she had been molested by her former boyfriend. Chan was assigned as the IO on this case.
During the investigations, the woman told Chan that her former boyfriend had transferred $4,000 to her and wanted it back.
Chan lied that it was "police procedure" for her to transfer the $4,000 to him, and he would transfer the money to her former boyfriend. He then pocketed the money.
His offence came to light when the former boyfriend filed a complaint against Chan about not receiving the money.
Chan contacted the woman and told her to lie to his colleague that she had not transferred to him any money. Trusting his position as a police officer, she lied while making a police statement, but later came clean after consulting her family.
Chan then admitted he had received the money, noting that he had intended to return it but was too overwhelmed with work to do so.
Separately, Chan misused an SPF computer system in 2020 to screen an individual, who was not named in court, and obtain a police report number pertaining to this person.
He then gave the police report number to someone else despite having no authority to do so.
Seeking a jail term of 17 to 20 months, DPP Cheah said that as a senior police officer of about two decades, his offences ought to merit a stern deterrent sentence.
Urging the court for not more than 10 months' jail for Chan, defence lawyer Noelle Teoh said her client had a long and unblemished career as a police officer before his offences.
Addressing his criminal breach of trust charge, she said: "There was no premeditation or planning on (Chan's) part, nor was there any sophistication involved in the commission of the offence.
"His actions were impulsive, driven by a moment of rashness and greed, rather than any deliberate intention."
