SINGAPORE - In cases of cheating where the deception involved a “dishonest concealment of facts”, it is not necessary to prove that an offender intended toThe Court of Appeal made the ruling on Monday in a case involving the former principal of a tuition centre who – with the help of three tutors –The apex court rejected the arguments of former principal Poh Yuan Nie and her niece, former tutor Fiona Poh Min.
Poh Yuan Nie, who is also known as Pony, was sentenced to four years’ jail, while Fiona Poh was sentenced to three years’ jail. A few hours before each exam, the tutors – Fiona Poh, Tan Jia Yan and Feng Riwen – helped to tape communication devices on the students, who are Chinese nationals. The pair then took the case to the Court of Appeal in a procedure known as a criminal reference, where they sought to have the apex court determine a question of law of public interest.