A former Malaysian national footballer was sentenced to 24 months’ jail for corruption and immigration offences, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said on Thursday (Apr 9).
Thana Segar S Sinnaiah (Thana Segar), 40, had earlier pleaded guilty to four charges. These include one count of abetment by conspiracy with Selvarajan Letchuman for corruptly giving gratification a sum not more than RM15,000 (S$5,600) to referee Shokri Bin Nor to fix the Malaysian Super League match between the LionsXII and Sarawak on May 22, 2012.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of abetment by conspiracy with Selvarajan and Shokri to cheat Singapore Pools, and for one count of failure to present his passport when leaving Singapore.
Four other charges of abetment by conspiracy to cheat Singapore Pools were taken into consideration for the sentencing, according to CPIB.
Thana Segar was first charged on May 24, 2012, for one count of engaging with Shokri, in a conspiracy to corruptly agree to receive gratification to fix the Malaysian Super League match on May 22.
While out on bail, Thana Segar failed to turn up for the pre-trial conference scheduled for Aug 7, 2012. He was later apprehended in August 2014 with the assistance of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, CPIB said.
“The popularity of football and the lucrative business of football betting have made the matches susceptible to illegal practices including match-fixing. These practices must be eliminated to protect the integrity of the sport and to keep the local sports scene clean,” the agency said.
“Singapore has always adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption, and match-fixing of any form is not condoned in Singapore. The CPIB investigates into match-fixing through bribery cases and will not hesitate to take action against any parties involved if they had given or received bribes to fix a match.”
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
