SINGAPORE: After being interviewed by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) over matters related to the handling of e-vaporisers and contraband cigarettes, a Certis CISCO auxiliary police officer told his former colleague to throw his vape away.

The ex-colleague later threw away at least one e-vaporiser and three packs of e-vaporiser pods.

Tan Wee Keong, 38, was jailed for one week on Friday (Jul 17) after pleading guilty to one count of obstructing justice by revealing information about a CPIB investigation and advising his ex-colleague to throw the implicated items away. 

The former colleague, Reggie Choo Beng Kwang, 33, was also jailed for one week on Friday after pleading guilty to a charge of the same nature. Choo had an additional charge of obstructing the course of justice by deleting a WhatsApp conversation with Tan taken into consideration for sentencing.

Tan was an assistant enforcement supervisor with the Certis CISCO Auxiliary Police Force deployed to the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) Tobacco Regulation Branch (TRB) at the time of the offences. He is no longer with Certis CISCO.

Choo was also an officer with the Tobacco Regulation Branch until he resigned before May 2022.

Both of them became friends in 2018.

Around May 2022, Tan learnt that Choo used e-vaporisers and e-vaporiser pods.

On Jul 26, 2022, Tan was interviewed by CPIB over investigations involving Certis officers attached to HSA's Tobacco Regulation Branch and their handling of e-vaporisers and contraband cigarettes.

Investigators instructed him not to discuss the investigation with anyone, and Tan agreed.

However, a few days later, Tan called Choo and disclosed that he had been interviewed by CPIB.

According to court documents, he told Choo that many people had been caught for possessing "vape", that Choo's name had surfaced during the interview, and advised him not to continue using e-vaporisers as it was "bad for his health". He told Choo it would be best to throw them away.

Realising he could also be under investigation and fearing the items would be discovered, Choo disposed of at least one e-vaporiser and three packs of e-vaporiser pods between July and August 2022.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Xavier Tan urged the court to jail both men.

While the offence was of low severity, a jail term was warranted for Tan given that he was a law enforcement officer who sought to cover u...