SINGAPORE: A public servant and her husband were arrested under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly circulating a draft of a joint media statement announcing that schools were moving into full home-based learning and pre-schools and student care centres would be closed as part of moves to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
In a statement on Sunday (Apr 5), the police said they received a report on Apr 3 at 5.45pm that a draft joint media statement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education detailing new learning arrangements and school closures had been leaked to the public before it was officially released.
READ: Police investigating after apparent leak of MOE, MSF press release on school closures
These are part of the nationwide circuit-breaker measures announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Friday.
Preliminary investigations revealed the woman, a 37-year-old public servant and an authorised recipient of the media statement had allegedly taken a screenshot of it and shared it with her husband via WhatsApp on Apr 3 at about 9am.
Her 38-year-old husband then shared the image with his friends, and it became publicly available before the statement was released officially that day at 4.30pm.
READ: ‘Right time’ to close schools now, says Education Minister Ong Ye Kung
Police investigations are ongoing.
If found guilty for flouting the Official Secrets Act, offenders face a fine of up to S$2,000 and a jail term of up to two years.
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