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SINGAPORE – Contesting charges of having sexually abused two women who were his colleagues, a former high-level public official in a government body related to education took the witness stand on Tuesday (September 1).
The 66-year-old retiree from Singapore is on trial for allegedly committing the crimes between March and September 2016, while still working for the organization.
The man and his alleged victims cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the women.
The Attorney General’s Office had previously told The Straits Times that the gag order also extends to the man’s employer at the time and his designation.
He is represented by attorneys Gary Low and Terence Tan of Drew & Napier.
Court documents indicate that the man allegedly pressed his genitals on the shoulder of one of the women, who was then 43 years old, in June 2016.
He is also accused of holding her tightly in such a way that his chest was pressing against his body four other times.
The man is said to have hugged the other woman in a similar way between June and July of that year.
Testifying on Tuesday, the man said he had hugged the first woman only twice in 2016, once in March and once in July, for her positive performance on work-related matters.
Both times, the hug lasted a second or two and there was no contact between her breasts, the court heard.
The man also told the court that the woman had initiated the hugs.
He also faces three charges of sexually abusing the second woman during work-related trips to neighboring countries, but now the prosecution has suspended them.
Court documents did not reveal how or when his alleged crimes came to light.
For each count of sexual abuse, offenders can be jailed for up to two years, fined, and / or punished. The man cannot be whipped because he is over 50 years old.
He is expected to continue testifying on Wednesday.
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