SINGAPORE - A principal tax investigator with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) was on July 22 charged after he allegedly obtained tax information of several individuals and companies at the request of his friends and acquaintances.

Mansur alias Thio Shuang Long was handed 20 charges under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act, and one charge under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for allegedly providing information to another man while under the employment of the IRAS.

Court systems show the 49-year-old did not enter a plea. His case will be mentioned in court again on Aug 19.

In a statement, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said that Mansur had allegedly used his IRAS account to gain unauthorised access to the taxman’s computer systems between May 2014 and January 2016.

One incident in 2014 involved Loh Chee Wee, a director of Transstar Asia, a coach and travel agency.

According to court documents, Mansur had helped the 50-year-old to check if another company sharing an office space with Loh’s company was being investigated by IRAS.

Loh, who was separately charged on July 22 with one count of contravening the OSA, did not enter a plea. His case will also be heard on Aug 19.

Those found guilty of unauthorised access to computer material can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $5,000, or both.

Those found guilty of wrongful communication of information under the OSA can be jailed up to two years and fined up to $2,000.