Singaporean resident got in trouble for forging Malaysian passport

In Singapore, 58-year-old Andrew Loo Eng Leon was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison after he was caught using fake documents. The man pleaded guilty to five charges under the Immigration Act.

The charges were that he presented a false passport and made a false statement to obtain a visa. Four other similar charges were taken into account in reaching the verdict, Today Online reports.

The court learned that Lu left for Malaysia in early 1991 after he was convinced that he was wanted by the police for participating in a gang fight. Between 2000 and 2004, Lu obtained a fake Malaysian identity card under the name Low Kheng Nyok through a Malaysian friend for a fee of US$2,100.

He wanted to travel to Singapore to visit his family and elderly mother. To do so, Lu obtained a second fake Malaysian passport in 2006. On January 4, 2008, Lu arrived at Changi Airport's Terminal 2, where he showed the immigration officer the Malaysian passport he had obtained in 2006 and was granted a 30-day visitation permit.

A few months later, Lu repeated the process when he arrived at Changi Airport's Terminal 1 to fly out of Singapore. On April 25, 2009, Lu returned to Singapore in the same manner with a disembarkation form filled out using false information and again received a 30-day permit.

The ICA launched an investigation into Lu on June 28 last year as he was found to be a person using multiple identification documents. Lu was arrested on June 27 this year after the investigation was completed. Lu was accused of committing crimes over a long period of time in circumstances where border control measures are necessary. In making his ruling, District Judge Paul Chen disagreed with the lawyer's request for 16 weeks in prison.

In addition, for each charge of making a false document, Lu could have been imprisoned for up to two years or fined up to S$6,000 ($4,500). He could also be imprisoned for up to 12 months or fined up to S$4,000 for making a false statement to obtain a visa.

Also, for each charge of failing to present his Singapore passport before entry, Lu could also be imprisoned for up to six months or fined S$1,000.