Two Charged For Alleged Corruption Involving $20,000
On 30 April 2021, two individuals were charged in court for alleged corruption. They are:
a) Quek Han Leng Mervyn [“Quek”] (郭漢龍, 35-year-old male Singapore Citizen), a Senior Engineer of SP PowerGrid Limited (“SPPG”) at the material time; and
b) Ong Wei Jian [“Ong”] (王伟健, 34-year-old male Singapore Citizen), a Director of One West Engineering Pte Ltd (“OWE”) at the material time.
2. On or about 4 April 2018, Quek allegedly obtained corrupt gratification of S$20,000 from Ong in return for providing SPPG’s gas’ plans to OWE before the official release in SPPG’s Tender on Supply and Laying of Gas Mains and Services. For their actions, Quek and Ong will each face one charge for offences punishable under Section 6(a) and Section 6(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, respectively.
3. Singapore adopts a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. Any person who is convicted of a corruption offence can be fined up to $100,000 or sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years or to both.
4. Companies are strongly advised to put in place robust procedures in areas such as procurement and internal audit to prevent falling victim to corrupt acts by their employees. Guidance for companies on measures to prevent corruption can be found in PACT: A Practical Anti-Corruption Guide for Businesses in Singapore, which is available on CPIB’s website. Companies are also strongly encouraged to obtain certification under the Singapore Standard (SS) ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management Systems, 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