Singapore’s authorities move to involve Interpol after principal’s disappearance
A former tuition centre head in Singapore, who orchestrated a cheating scheme for O-Level examinations, is believed to have fled the country.
On Thursday (Dec 22), prosecutors requested the court to amend existing arrest warrants for Poh Yuan Nie, 56, to explicitly state they are valid for enforcement outside Singapore.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Louis Ngia clarified there is no indication of a specific country, such as Malaysia or Brunei, but the amendment is necessary to file an Interpol Red Notice. This global alert requests international law enforcement to locate and provisionally detain individuals awaiting extradition or similar legal proceedings.
According to Mr Ngia, police believe Poh, also known as Pony, has absconded. Poh faces a four-year prison term following her conviction for 27 counts of cheating. After her final appeal was rejected in November, a warrant for her arrest was issued when she failed to surrender to serve her sentence.
Case Overview
Poh, along with three accomplices, orchestrated the cheating operation in 2016 at the now-closed Zeus Education Centre. Six students were outfitted with concealed electronic devices beneath their clothing, enabling communication during three separate exam papers.
Before each session, Fiona Poh Min, Poh’s niece, and Feng Riwen secured the devices on the students. During the examinations, Tan Jia Yan, posing as a private candidate, livestreamed the question papers via FaceTime to the tuition centre. Fiona and Feng solved the questions and relayed answers back to the students.
The scheme unraveled when an invigilator detected unusual electronic signals and voices.
Poh was described as the mastermind, overseeing the entire operation and approving her co-accused’s roles. Fiona received a three-year sentence, Feng was sentenced to two years and four months, and Tan, who pled guilty, was jailed for three years in 2019. Poh’s jail term was confirmed after a protracted trial, with sentencing in 2020 and the appeal dismissed in November.
A further review of Poh’s case has been scheduled for May.
