TODAY: Police quiz Gomez again

WP man was asked to give 'detailed responses', PAP MP Inderjit Singh interviewed

LOH CHEE KONG
cheekong@newstoday.com.sg


PROBE: Mr Gomez (right) was yesterday asked to elaborate on questions that were raised during his first interview on Sunday. PAP MP Inderjit Singh was also interviewed by the police.

THE Workers' Party's (WP) James Gomez was summoned by the police for the second time yesterday, as investigations into his alleged offences of criminal intimidation and providing false information to the Elections Department gathered pace.

The People's Action Party's (PAP) MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, Mr Inderjit Singh, was also interviewed by the police.

Yesterday, Mr Gomez arrived at the Police Cantonment Complex at about 9.30am and emerged from its premises some five hours later.

The researcher, 40, later told TODAY that he had received a call from the police late on Monday night for him to go down to assist in investigations.

"They were essentially elaborations and clarifications to questions asked in the first round (on Sunday). They wanted more detailed responses," he said.

According to Mr Gomez, the police also requested a copy of his minority certificate application form, which he gave them along with the letter of authorisation and submission that would enable a candidate to authorise another person to collect and submit the form on his behalf.

Mr Gomez was stopped at the airport on Sunday while leaving for Sweden to resume work at Idea International. His passport was seized and he was questioned for eight hours. While he was willing to cooperate fully with the investigations, he took the opportunity to convey to the police his concerns about his financial and work obligations.

Due to start work in Sweden yesterday, Mr Gomez managed to obtain a letter from the police to explain his predicament to his employers. But he had other concerns, such as getting his passport back so that he could get back to work.

"While I am involved in this, I need to get on with other aspects of my life as well," he said.

He added: "My ticket transiting from Bangkok to Sweden was a non-refundable ticket. And I run the risk of not receiving income for the days that I'm not at work. I also have bills and rents to pay in Sweden because I have an apartment there."

Mr Gomez said that the police were unable to put a time frame on the investigations. Nonetheless, they told him they would look into his concerns.

When contacted, the police said that the second interview was part of "the process of reviewing the evidence and interviewing all relevant persons". It added that it had also interviewed Mr Singh, who declined to comment when contacted by TODAY.

The MP, who is embarking on his third term following the elections, had issued a public statement during the height of the controversy on a conversation he had with Mr Gomez on Nomination Day. According to Mr Singh, Mr Gomez had told him then that the whole episode was a "wayang" (show).

On Monday, WP chief Low Thia Khiang was interviewed by the police at his office for more than three hours, while the party's chairman Sylvia Lim also gave a statement on Sunday night.

Officials from the Elections Department, the complainant, have also been interviewed.

The controversy started when Mr Gomez claimed to have submitted his application form for a minority candidate certificate to the Elections Department.

The department disputed the claim and made public its evidence such as security video footage and a transcript of a telephone conversation Mr Gomez had with a department official.

The Elections Department lodged a complaint against Mr Gomez on Polling Day last Saturday, and police are investigating the case as alleged offences of criminal intimidation and giving false information.

Though he did not submit his form, Mr Gomez was reported to have warned Elections Department officials of "consequences" when told that they did not have his certificate.

Speaking to 938Live, lawyer Edmund Pereira explained what might constitute "criminal intimidation".

"Whenever a person threatens another with injury - either to his own person or to that person's reputation - or to his property, like for example, I'm going to burn your house down, and causes that other person to be put in alarm, or fear," he said.

Mr Gomez is part of the WP team led by Ms Lim that challenged the PAP in Aljunied GRC. The contest ended with the PAP team, fronted by Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo, winning 56.1 per cent of the vote.