Ex-national paddler Li Hu's mother jailed 6 weeks for trying to bribe STTA official
UPDATE: Li Hu spoke to Yahoo News Singapore about the case and his future
The mother of a national paddler who tried to bribe a Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) official to be lenient with her son’s disciplinary hearing was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Tuesday (30 January).
Su Fengxian, a 56-year-old Chinese national, was found guilty earlier this month on one charge of corruptly offering 2,000 euros (S$3247) to STTA’s technical director Loy Soo Han as a bribe to show leniency in her son Li Hu’s disciplinary hearing with STTA. Su offered the bribe at the STTA’s premises in Lorong 6 Toa Payoh on 17 October 2016.
Li Hu, a 29-year-old Singaporean, was sacked following a disciplinary committee hearing in October last year after the investigation found that Li had repeatedly breached STTA’s Code of Conduct. The association said then that Li’s insubordination was unacceptable in relation to his violations, including letting a woman spend the night at the STTA dormitory on several occasions.
In court on Tuesday, the prosecution sought a jail term of at least four months for Su, while her lawyer Alfred Dodwell asked for a fine.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jasmin Kaur told the court in the prosecution’s sentencing submission that Su had deliberately planned a visit to Singapore to commit the offence. Her premeditated action could potentially cause damage to Singapore’s international reputation, the prosecutor said.
While in China, Su began appealing to STTA for leniency through phone calls and Facebook messages in relation to her son’s disciplinary case, but she was unsuccessful. She then flew to Singapore with 2,000 euros placed in her bag, DPP Jasmin said.
Upon landing, she immediately went to STTA and pleaded with its officials including Loy, but to no avail. She then went to her son’s dormitory and placed the money in an empty envelope.
Su then met Loy again to plead for his son but was again rejected. She then took out the envelope containing the money and offered it to Loy, who rebuffed her attempt to bribe him.
Dodwell disagreed with the prosecution in his mitigation that Su’s action was premeditated. He said that if it was so, Su would have come prepared to bribe the official with Singapore dollars. Instead, her action was that of an “anxious mother” who was worried that her son was in trouble.
District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt agreed with prosecution that there is public interest to protect STTA’s public integrity. While the judge disagreed that Su had come to Singapore specifically to commit the offence, he said that there was “some premeditation” on her part.
After the verdict, Dodwell told the court that Su will file an appeal against conviction and the sentence.
A person who is convicted of corruption faces a jail term of up to five years and/or a maximum fine of $100,000.
Li turned up in court after the hearing to post bail of $15,000 for Su pending his mother’s appeal.
Speaking to Yahoo News Singapore in Mandarin, Li said he is currently teaching children and adults as a private table tennis coach, and plans to continue doing so.
When asked how he felt about his mother’s case, Li said, “Being a mother is not easy, I’m just trying to help her as her child”.
Li added that he intends to get a coaching license. When asked if he had difficulty in obtaining the license, he replied that he is focused on being a good coach.
