A 14-year-old boy has been charged in a Singapore court for pretending to be the nation's education minister in an e-mail to his principal, a newspaper reported Friday.

The boy allegedly sent his principal an e-mail demanding the expulsion of two fellow students and signed it with the name of former Education Minister Teo Chee Hean, the Straits Times newspaper said. Teo is now Singapore's defense minister.

The paper said the boy was charged in court Thursday under the Computer Misuse Act and is now out on bail of 6,000 Singapore dollars (US$3,428). He will appear in court again next month.

The boy could be punished with community service, probation, detention in a juvenile home or reform training if found guilty, the paper said.

An adult found guilty of the same offense could be jailed up to 10 years and fined S$50,000 (US$28,571), it said.

Court officials could not immediately be reached to confirm the charges.

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