Charged for Conspiring to Cheat

28 AUG 2020

The Management Corporation of a Strata Title development (also known as MCST) elects a management council to oversee the operational matters involved in running the estate, which includes managing contracts with service providers. Any alleged attempts by council members to cheat the MCST may have to face the consequences of the law.

2. On 28 August 2020, two individuals were charged in court with the following offences that were committed sometime in May 2018:

a) Tan Muay Lan (陈梅兰), a 58-year-old female Singapore Citizen, Chairperson of the Building Sub-Committee of the Management Corporation Strata Title (“MCST”) Plan No. 826, Aljunied Industrial Complex (AIC), at the material time

  • One count of abetment by engaging in a conspiracy with one Lim Siong Beng to cheat the said MCST by dishonestly concealing their business interests in M/s Swift Catering. Both Lim Siong Beng and Tan Muay Lan had arranged for Tan Muay Lan’s brother, Tan Wing Hock (the registered owner of M/s Swift Catering) to sign a canteen tenancy agreement containing unfavourable clauses, detrimental to the interests of the said AIC, to which the MCST’s council members (of AIC) would have prevented the signing of the said agreement had they not been so deceived. All these constituted an offence punishable under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. b) Lim Siong Beng (林祥明), a 63-year-old male Singapore Citizen, Chairman of the Management Corporation Strata Title (“MCST”) Plan No. 826, Aljunied Industrial Complex, at the material time

  • One count of abetment by engaging in a conspiracy with one Tan Muay Lan to cheat the said MCST by dishonestly concealing their business interests in M/s Swift Catering. Both Tan Muay Lan and Lim Siong Beng had arranged for Tan Muay Lan’s brother, Tan Wing Hock (the registered owner of M/s Swift Catering) to sign a canteen tenancy agreement with unfavourable clauses, detrimental to the interests of the said AIC, to which the MCST’s council members (of AIC) would have prevented the signing of the said agreement had they not been so deceived. All these constituted an offence punishable under Section 417 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224.

3. Any person who is convicted of a cheating offence can be sentenced to an imprisonment term of up to 3 years, or to a fine, or to both.

4. The public and management councils of MCSTs should remain vigilant and report any suspected corruption offences to the CPIB or suspected cheating offences to the Police respectively. For governance issues pertaining to MCSTs and the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA), these should be reported to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau