SINGAPORE — A public servant who allegedly forwarded a draft joint media statement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education to her husband will be charged under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the police said. Her husband will also be charged.

In a news release on Tuesday (April 20), the police said that the 38-year-old woman and her 39-year-old husband will be charged with offences of “wrongful communication of information” under the Act on Wednesday.

The police said that they received a report on April 3 last year that the draft media statement detailing the implementation of full home-based learning by schools and Institutes of Higher Learning, as well as the closure of preschools and student care centres, had been leaked to the public before it was officially released.

Investigations by the authorities found that the woman — who was an authorised recipient of the media statement — had allegedly taken a photo of the media statement on her computer screen and shared the image with her husband via WhatsApp at about 9am that day.

Her husband then allegedly forwarded the image to his friends. It then became publicly available before the information was officially released.

In addition, the police said that the woman had purportedly taken photos of a list of essential services that would continue operating during the circuit breaker period when activities and movement were restricted and sent them to her husband at his request.

“Both persons will be charged for offences of wrongful communication of information under the Official Secrets Act," the police said.

“The man will also be charged for soliciting the wrongful communication of information under the Official Secrets Act.”

Sixteen other people who had wrongfully received and further communicated the information downstream will be “administered with written advisories for wrongful communication of information under the OSA”.

The police said that they take a serious view of any breach of the Act.

The offence of wrongful communication of information under the law carries a S$2,000 fine and up to two years’ jail.

“Unauthorised recipients should delete and not further circulate any confidential information received as they may otherwise be similarly liable under the OSA,” the police said.

Last week, the deputy lead of a data management unit that was started by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic was charged with leaking daily coronavirus case numbers 22 times between March and April last year.

Zhao Zheng, a 36-year-old Singaporean, faces 24 charges.

Twenty-two charges relate to her wrongfully sending the number of Covid-19 cases to a WeChat group comprising 49 other members, before MOH officially released the information to the public.