Pastor jailed two weeks for tampering with fuel gauge and lying to officer

A church pastor tampered with his car's fuel indicator, and lied to an immigration officer about it.

For giving false information under the Customs Act, Steven Yang Suan Piau, 47, was sentenced to two weeks' jail.

Yang tried to drive to Malaysia with about a quarter tank of fuel in his car.

His car indicator, however, showed that he had a three-quarter tank of petrol.

There is a three-quarter tank rule for vehicles leaving Singapore.

At around midnight on Jan 3 at the Woodlands Checkpoint, an immigration officer questioned Yang about the indicator, and Yang said twice that the indicator was correct and that the fuel gauge had not been tampered with.

Another charge of failing to comply with the three-quarter tank rule was also considered.

The pastor at Eternal Life Baptist Church in Kim Keat Road is appealing against the sentence and is out on $15,000 bail until the appeal hearing.