The deputy polo coach for the Singapore national team in 2007 and 2017 SEA Games, will now face imprisonment as he forged school certificate and provided false information in the citizenship application.
The Pakistan born accused Abdul Sattar Khan turned professional when he was 17 and was offered a job by the Polo Club in 1994 and took the charge in 1995. But when he applied to become a permanent resident of the Republic in 2006, he gave false documents to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). As per the reports, Khan did the same when he applied for citizenship, which was issued on July 31, 2009.
On Thursday, July 18 the court sentenced him to two weeks of jail term as he pleaded guilty to offences under the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Republic as well as under the Immigration Act.
The New Paper reported that ICA said that Khan and his family's status will be reviewed, while court documents clarified that his permanent residency would not have been granted if not for the falsely provided information.
The accused, who has a wife, two daughters as well as a son also made his family the permanent residents of Singapore at the same time. Moreover, Khan's son has completed his national service in 2010.
After taking the job at Polo Club in 1995 he became a polo manager six years later. In 2000, he first applied for the PR and lied that he attended Garden East School in Pakistan for his secondary school education. This time his application was rejected but he again tried in April 2006 and this time he falsely stated that he attended Ibrahim Ali Bhai Secondary School.
To cover up the lie he then submitted a forged certificate and results. Later, it was revealed that Khan attended a village school called Government Elementary School, Boti Mianwali.
However, as per the court documents when his PR application was granted, he applied for citizenship on September 9, 2008, and submitted the same forged documents.
During the court hearing, Thomas Sim, who was representing Khan, said that his client's rural school did not award him a formal certificate when he completed studies. Khan's father helped him and also got these forged certificates from local agents.
Speaking high about Khan's contribution in sports, the defence lawyer Sim urged District Judge Mathew Joseph to impose a fine or a maximum jail term of two weeks.
Khan is currently out on bail and as per the court orders, he will start serving the sentence from Tuesday, July 23.
