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Singapore

Singapore tables Bill making jail or reformative training default for young scam offenders

The Sentencing (Scams) Bill responds to a High Court ruling and would curb lighter sentences for under-21s who commit or enable scams.

Photo: zaobao.com.sg

What happened

The Ministry of Home Affairs introduced the Sentencing (Scams) Bill for first reading in Parliament on Nov 3. Ministry of Home Affairs+1 Senior Minister of State Goh Pei Ming tabled the Bill on behalf of Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam. zaobao.com.sg+1 Under the proposal, imprisonment or reformative training would be the default sentencing options for young people convicted of scams and scam-enabling offences, with exceptions only in exceptional circumstances. CNA+1 Offenders under 21 would no longer receive lighter sentences solely because of their age. zaobao.com.sg

Around it

The Bill follows a Sep 10 High Court ruling that said reformative training or imprisonment should not be the default for young offenders who commit scam-enabling offences. In that case the court allowed the appeals of four offenders who had been given reformative training and placed them on probation of a year to 18 months instead. singaporelawwatch.sg+1 Scams remain the most prevalent crime type in Singapore. In the first half of 2026, police received an average of 90 scam reports a day, with losses of $2 million a day. Ministry of Home Affairs Since 2023, Parliament has passed five other Bills that created new offences for mules who launder scam proceeds or supply SIM cards or Singpass credentials, and that provided for caning for scam and scam-enabling offences. Ministry of Home Affairs

Sources

  1. zaobao.com.sgGovernment tables Bill to impose tougher sentences on young scam offenders
  2. singaporelawwatch.sgProposed law seeks jail or reformative training for young scam offenders after High Court ruling
  3. Ministry of Home AffairsIntroduction of the Sentencing (Scams) Bill
  4. CNAJail or reformative training to be default sentencing options for young scam offenders under proposed law
  5. mothership.sgCourts to consider reformative training or imprisonment as default sentences for young scam offenders

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