SINGAPORE: Four more men were on Tuesday (Mar 22) charged with breaching COVID-19 safe management measures at a New Year’s Eve gathering in the Clarke Quay area.
They are Assiddiq Surani, 22; Lee Hern Sing, 20; Varghese Divin, 30; and Adam Abdullah, 19. Their nationalities were not specified in charge sheets.
This brings to 14 the total number of people who have been charged in relation to the New Year’s Eve gathering.
Videos circulated on social media in January showed crowds gathered outside Riverside Point in Clarke Quay to usher in the new year. The COVID-19 multi-ministry task force had called it “a potential superspreading event”.
Assiddiq is accused of not wearing a mask over his nose and mouth and not keeping a distance of at least 1m from other people near Read Bridge at Clarke Quay at about 12.15am on Jan 1.
He told the court that he was claiming trial. When asked by the judge if he was not admitting to the charges, he replied no because “it was not intended”.
Lee is accused of attending a gathering of more than five people near Read Bridge “for a common purpose, namely to record footage of street interviews” around midnight on Jan 1. He also allegedly failed to keep a 1m distance from others.
Lee was the only one of the four with a lawyer, who asked for time to make representations. His case will be heard again on Apr 19.
Divin was charged with not wearing a mask and not keeping a 1m distance from others at the walkway between the Singapore River and Clarke Quay Central at about 11pm on Dec 31, 2021.
Adam was charged with the same two breaches of COVID-19 rules, allegedly committed near Read Bridge at about 12.05am on Jan 1.
Both Divin and Adam said they intend to plead guilty and asked the prosecution for an indication of the likely sentences. Their cases will return to court next month.
Kotra Venkata Sai Rohankrishna, who was earlier handed three charges over the gathering, also had his case heard again on Tuesday. He is accused of failing to wear a mask near Read Bridge.
Court documents state that Kotra was dressed in a Spider-Man costume at the time and allegedly interacted with about 20 people. This included the recording of videos and photos, according to the charge sheet.
He is also accused of failing to keep a 1m distance from several other people there.
Kotra’s defence lawyer Lim Shu Yi said that she had made representations for her client earlier on Tuesday. This came after she received the prosecution’s sentencing position and took further instructions from her client.
Ms Lim confirmed that her client would still be pleading guilty, pending the prosecution’s response to her representations. Kotra’s case will return to court on Apr 12.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority said on Monday that another three people were served notices of composition (NOCs) of S$1,000 each for breaching safe management measures.
A total of 19 people have been served NOCs over the gathering.
