Eight fined for gathering at Arab Street club during circuit breaker
A club owner and seven others were fined yesterday for gathering in a club on Arab Street during the circuit breaker.
Yesterday, the club owner, Teo Guoshun, 34, was fined $7,500 and the six others - Ang Kok Siang, 32; Chong Kaichen Terence, 29; Per Li Min, 26; Tan Whenn, 25; Teng Chung Choon James, 46; Veronica Ong Xue Yu, 21 - were fined $3,000 after they pleaded guilty to unlawfully leaving their homes to gather at Club Playground.
The seventh person, Zhang Min, 28, a Chinese national, was fined $2,800.
A second charge was taken into consideration for the seven people.
The court heard Teo, who also pleaded guilty to operating the club unlawfully, had arranged for the meeting at the club with shareholders and business partners to discuss how to settle the losses incurred by the club during the circuit breaker period.
During this period, no social gatherings were allowed and people could only go out for errands or essential purposes.
On May 30, the police heard loud music coming from the club and found 13 people in the club chatting, drinking and singing karaoke inside two rooms, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Goh Yi Ling.
DPP Goh said the seven accused people had left their homes for the business meeting or to socialise at the club, and stayed for between one to three hours. They were also in close contact with each other within the two rooms.
For Teo, she added that he had initiated the meeting at the club, invited most of the people present, and had stayed there the longest - for about four hours.
He also allowed the people present to drink and sing karaoke at the club.
Teo also had a third charge taken into consideration.
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