A 50-year-old Singaporean male public servant was arrested on Saturday, June 13, for wrongful communication of information under Section 5(1) of the Official Secrets Act.

Info on post-Circuit Breaker circulating on WhatsApp

According to a news release issued on Sunday, June 14, the police received a report that information regarding the second phase of resumption of activities post-Circuit Breaker was circulating through WhatsApp messages among members of the public.

Preliminary investigations then revealed that the man responsible is a public servant and an authorised recipient of classified information related to post-Circuit Breaker plans.

Man shared classified information with others via WhatsApp

The man had allegedly shared the information via WhatsApp on June 11 with members of a private WhatsApp chat group who were not authorised to receive the classified information.

The information was subsequently disseminated from the chat group, resulting in wider circulation of the message, the police said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Punishable offence

The Singapore government takes a serious view of any wrongful communication of confidential information, and will deal firmly with anyone who does so.

The offence of wrongful communication of information under Section 5(1) of the Official Secrets Act is punishable under Section 17(2) of the Official Secrets Act, which carries a fine of up to S$2,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.

Unauthorised recipients should also not further circulate the confidential information received, as they may be similarly liable under the Official Secrets Act.

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