Illicit Dealings Disclosed
It is an offence to advance business interests through corrupt means or to cheat companies into awarding contracts. Those who do so will be firmly dealt with by the law.
2. On 23 December 2019, two individuals were charged in court:
a) James Lim Liong Ghee, 林隆仪, 45-year-old Singaporean male, former IT Manager at Dymon Asia Capital (Singapore) Pte Ltd (“Dymon”) and former Associate Director at Changi Airports International Pte Ltd (“CAI”)
i. Corruptly receiving cash gratification amounting to SGD215,237 from one Ng Soon Weng (“Ng”) on 98 occasions, as a reward for the furtherance of business interest of First Tel Tech Pte Ltd (“FTT”) with Dymon and CAI, an offence punishable under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Cap 241 (98 counts);
ii. Engaging in conspiracy with Ng and another individual to forge five quotations for the purpose of cheating CAI into awarding contracts to FTT, an offence under Section 468 read with section 109 of the Penal Code, Cap 224 (5 counts); and
iii. Forgery of eleven quotations for the purpose of cheating CAI into awarding contracts to FTT, an offence under Section 468 of the Penal Code, Cap 224. (11 counts)
b) Ng Soon Weng, 伍顺荣, 45-year-old Singaporean male, Director of First Tel Tech Pte Ltd (“FTT”)
i. Corruptly giving cash gratification amounting to SGD215,237 to James Lim Liong Ghee (“James”) on 98 occasions, as a reward for the furtherance of business interest of FTT with Dymon and CAI, an offence punishable under Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Cap 241 (98 counts);
ii. Engaging in conspiracy with James and another individual to forge five quotations for the purpose of cheating CAI into awarding contracts to FTT, an offence under Section 468 read with section 109 of the Penal Code, Cap 224 (5 counts).
3. Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and other criminal activities. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to 5 years or to both. Any person who is convicted of forgery for the purpose of cheating can be sentenced to imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine.
4. To avoid falling victim to dishonest acts by rogue employees seeking personal gains through illicit means, companies are strongly advised to put in place robust procedures in areas such as procurement and internal audit. Guidance for companies on measures to prevent corruption may be found in PACT: A Practical Anti-Corruption Guide for Businesses in Singapore, which is available on CPIB’s website. Companies can also consider obtaining certification under the Singapore Standard (SS) ISO 37001 which is designed to help companies implement or enhance an anti-bribery management system to reduce corporate risk and costs related to bribery.
Reference Links:
Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau