Civil servants buying property near future MRT stations: 4 layers of safeguards in place, says Chan Chun Sing

Civil servants are subject to four layers of safeguards aimed at preventing the misuse of non-public government information for personal gain, Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing said in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 6).The safeguards include controlled access to sensitive information, declaration and approval requirements for personal transactions, additional measures for agencies handling particularly sensitive information, and channels for reporting suspected wrongdoing.Chan was responding to parliamentary questions following a study that found a statistical association between civil servants involved in rail planning and property purchases near future MRT stations before their locations were announced. As part of the Government's review, property transactions involving 191 officers in agencies involved in rail planning were examined. The officers had purchased properties between 2007 and 2014 near locations that were later announced as MRT stations.